North Whidbey takes opener, drops game 2 | 11/12 baseball

After ripping Anacortes 11-1 in five innings in the opener Saturday, the North Whidbey Little League 11/12 all-star baseball team couldn’t hold its lead and fell 8-7 to the host team Sunday in the District 11 tournament in Sedro-Woolley.

By Jim Waller • July 11, 2016 2:26 pm
Brock Boyer slides by the sweeping tag of the Anacortes catcher for North Whidbey's first run Saturday.
Brock Boyer slides by the sweeping tag of the Anacortes catcher for North Whidbey's first run Saturday.

After ripping Anacortes 11-1 in five innings in the opener Saturday, the North Whidbey Little League 11/12 all-star baseball team couldn’t hold its lead and fell 8-7 to the host team Sunday in the District 11 tournament in Sedro-Woolley.

North Whidbey now faces island foe Central/South Whidbey in a loser-out game at 6 p.m. Monday, July 11.

North Whidbey scored in every inning in the win over Anacortes.

Brock Boyer led off the bottom of the first with a single and Gage McLeod followed with a walk. Both scored after Tyler Zenger put down a bunt.

With two outs in the second inning, Shawn Day walked and Conor Jerry reached on an error, then the pair came racing home on a Boyer triple.

North Whidbey made it 5-0 in the third when Jordan Ronning doubled home Zenger, who walked.

A five-run fourth inning put the game away.  Three walks (Day, Chandler Gisvold, McLeod) and doubles by Boyer, Will Rankin and Jamie Ryder did the damage.

In the bottom of the fifth, the game ended because of the mercy rule when Day singled, Gisvold walked and Boyer singled to put North Whidbey up by 10.

Boyer went 3-for-3 with a walk, two runs and two RBI.

Ronning, McLeod and Gisvold combined to pitch a one-hitter and strike out eight.

North Whidbey held leads of 3-0 and 7-4 in the loss to Sedro-Woolley.

Ronning got things going in the top of the second with a blast over the center field fence. Ethan Abbott was hit by a pitch and Day reached on an error, then both scored on Boyer’s base hit.

Sedro-Woolley countered with four runs in its half.

North Whidbey quickly regained the lead with three runs in the third inning. Rankin singled and Ronning and Abbott were hit by pitches to load the bases. Marshall Rhew’s grounder scored one run, then Day singled in two more.

North Whidbey pushed the lead to 7-4 with a run in the fourth on singles by McLeod and Rankin.

Sedro-Woolley responded in the bottom of the fourth with its second four-run inning of the game to take the lead for good.

North Whidbey put its leadoff hitter on in both the fifth and sixth innings thanks to singles by Zane Ferguson and Boyer but couldn’t score.

For the second consecutive game, Boyer collected three hits; Rankin added two.

=====================

This bunt by Tyler Zenger resulted in two runs for North Whidbey Saturday. Photo by Jim Waller.