Putting a big hit on Oak Harbor’s playoff chances, the Stanwood High School baseball team beat the Wildcats twice this week.
The Spartans scored in the seventh inning to win 2-1 in Oak Harbor Tuesday and then won 7-3 in Stanwood Wednesday.
The two teams finish their three-game series at 4 p.m. in Oak Harbor Friday, April 22.
Heading into this week, Oak Harbor, Stanwood, Marysville Getchell and Everett were all tied for third place in the Wesco North with 2-5 league records. Only two will advance to the playoffs. In addition to Stanwood stopping Oak Harbor, Getchell dumped Everett twice.
Stanwood and MG now hold two game leads on the final post-season spots with six games left.
After playing the Spartans Friday, Oak Harbor faces first-place Arlington (8-1, 10-4) three times next week and then finishes with two games with Marysville Getchell.
In Tuesday’s game, Oak Harbor scored in the first inning. Kevyn Johnson singled with one out and, after an out, was driven home by Tyler Snavely.
The Wildcats would have only four more runners the remainder of the game off pitcher Collin McKenzie.
Snavely had two hits, and Johnson and Will Danielson one apiece.
Snavely pitched a five-hitter for Oak Harbor. Three of those hits came consecutively in the second inning and scored Stanwood’s first run.
In the seventh, a single, stolen base and two-out error led to the winning run.
Snavely struck out six and walked none.
“Tyler threw great,” coach Tyson VanDam said. “He was very efficient.”
Oak Harbor and Stanwood were tied 2-2 heading into the fifth inning of Wednesday’s game, then the Spartans tallied twice in the fifth and three times the sixth.
The Wildcats plated a pair of runs in the fourth. Steven Richards reached on an error and Chad Spradlin singled, then both scored on Taylor Consford’s hit.
Spradlin and Rob Herring both singled in the sixth inning, then Spradlin eventually scored on a passed ball.
Spradlin finished with three hits; Johnson, Snavely, Herring and Consford had one each.
“We hit the ball well, just right at people,” assistant coach JR Calderwood said. “We didn’t get the chance to string them together, and it seemed to be our demise.”
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Tyler Snavely pitched a five-hitter Tuesday for Oak Harbor. Photo by Jim Waller.