A perfect 20-0 season is a wonderful thought, but it’s not going to happen for the Oak Harbor baseball team in 2004.
One rough inning resulted in a deficit the Wildcats couldn’t recover from, as they lost their first game, 4-2, to non-league Squalicum on Saturday afternoon.
Appearing invincible his first time through the Storm lineup, Oak Harbor pitcher Josh Fritch retired eight of the first 10 batters he faced, four via strikeout.
Unfortunately for Fritch, the control that helped him carve his way through the Squalicum lineup once, failed him in the top of the third. After striking out the first batter, then getting a flyout, momentum made a sudden shift.
A line drive single up the middle, followed by an infield hit seemed to rattle the junior pitcher.
The infield single was a result of a hit and run, which would have been an easy out in an out in any other circumstance.
“The key was that hit and run,” Oak Harbor head coach Jim Waller said. “The second baseman was covering, then he had to dive back and he couldn’t throw the guy out at first.”
The play kept the inning alive and Fritch walked the next three batters, forcing in two runs.
“You take that inning away and we have a different game,” Waller said.
Squalicum tacked on one more run in the fourth, scoring on an error for a 3-0 advantage.
The Wildcats finally broke their scoreless streak in the bottom of the fourth when junior Bryce Waller scored from second on a Storm throwing error.
OHHS inched its way closer in the bottom of the fifth after junior Jake Jansen drove a line-drive RBI single up the middle, scoring Kyle Isaacson from second.
Jansen was one of the few Wildcats to find success at the plate, going 2-for-3 with an RBI.
Oak Harbor continued to struggle with their bats, collecting only five hits on the day and striking out eight times.
“We’re striking out too many times,” Waller said. “We’ve got some talented players offensively, we’ve just got to get over the hump.”
The Cats struck out 10 times in their first game against Sedro-Woolley.
“I really think it’s going to get better, I don’t think it’s going to continue,” Waller said.
Squalicum 002 100 1—4 7 1
Oak Harbor 000 110 0—2 5 1
Fenton, Menz (5), Thompson (7) and Ehlers. Fritch, Sinks (3), Lobbestael (5) and Isaacson, Lange (5). WP-Fenton. LP-Fritch (0-1).
Oak Harbor 5, Ferndale 4
The Wildcats got back on a winning track Monday afternoon, defeating Ferndale 5-4 in extra innings.
Kyle Isaacson scored the go-ahead run for Oak Harbor in the bottom of the ninth on a ball hit by Scott Donnell. The Golden Eagles’ secondbaseman booted the ball and Isaacson coasted across homeplate from third.
Ferndale still had fight in the bottom of the ninth, but Oak Harbor turned a bases-loaded double play from John Lobbestael to Matt Badger to Jake Jansen to seal the win.
The Wildcats held a 4-0 advantage going into the bottom of the seventh, but Ferndale was able to rally for four runs on four hits and a walk to tie the game and force it into extra innings.
Isaacson was 2-for-4 with two runs scored, Badger was 3-for-4 with two runs scored and Jansen went 1-for-3 with two RBI.
Note: The game time of Oak Harbor’s game at Sehome on Saturday, March 27 has been moved from noon to 1:30 p.m.
Ferndale 000 000 400—4 8 5
Oak Harbor 202 000 001—5 8 3
Piper, Ivy (8) and Morrison. Peattie, Schutte(3), Sinks (5), Blunk (7) and Isaacson, Lange (5). WP-Blunk (1-0) LP-Ivy.
