Eagles jump on Wildcat errors / Baseball

By Jim Waller • April 5, 2018 1:30 am
Thomas Anderson scrambles safely back to first base on a pickoff attempt as Arlington first baseman Cameron Smith awaits the throw and Oak Harbor assistant coach Ryan McCarthy looks on. (Photo by John Fisken)
Thomas Anderson scrambles safely back to first base on a pickoff attempt as Arlington first baseman Cameron Smith awaits the throw and Oak Harbor assistant coach Ryan McCarthy looks on. (Photo by John Fisken)

The Arlington High School baseball team took advantage of Oak Harbor’s mistakes to defeat the host Wildcats 7-2 Tuesday, April 3.

The game featured teams from the opposite ends of the Wesco North standings, and the first-place Eagles showed why they are the conference leaders by pouncing on the Oak Harbor miscues.

Arlington had only four hits but mixed them with five Wildcat errors and four wild pitches to up their league record to 7-0 (7-1 overall). Oak Harbor fell to 0-7 (0-8).

The second game of the series scheduled for Wednesday, April 4, at Arlington was rained out; a makeup date has not been set.

Oak Harbor hosts Shorewood (3-2, 5-3) at 4 p.m. Friday, April 6.

Arlington 7, Oak Harbor 2

The tone of the game was established in the first inning.

Two walks, two errors and two wild pitches resulted in two runs for the Eagles.

In the third inning, a single, walk, two wild pitches and a ground out led to two more Arlington runs.

Arlington upped its lead to 5-0 in the fourth inning off a double and two ground outs.

Eagle starter Owen Bishop pitched perfect baseball in six of the seven innings; his one rough patch came in the bottom of the fifth.

Donnie Kloewer ripped a double into the right field gap to provide Oak Harbor with its first base runner. An infield single by Thomas Anderson and a walk to Taylor Rummel loaded the bases. Kloewer then scored on Joe Dixon’s groundout. A walk to Chase Ogden reloaded the bases, and Austin Boesch singled in Anderson.

A hit batter and an error led to an Arlington run in the sixth inning, then the Eagles finished the scoring with a single and two errors in the seventh.

“We can beat that team,” Oak Harbor coach Cody Anderson said, lamenting his team’s mistakes.

One bright spot, according to Anderson, was the pitching of Ethan Pace, who “pitched well again today.”

Pace relieved starter Aidan McCarthy in the fourth inning and pitched one-hit ball the rest of the way.

Oak Harbor first baseman James Besaw receives a pickoff throw that drives Arlington’s Trevor Kazen back to the base.(Photo by John Fisken)

Oak Harbor first baseman James Besaw receives a pickoff throw that drives Arlington’s Trevor Kazen back to the base. (Photo by John Fisken)

Caleb Fitzgerald looks in a flyball to left field Tuesday.(Photo by John Fisken)

Caleb Fitzgerald looks in a flyball to left field Tuesday. (Photo by John Fisken)

Oak Harbor Donnie Kloewer slides into third base ahead of the tag by Arlington’s Camden Anderson.(Photo by John Fisken)

Oak Harbor Donnie Kloewer slides into third base ahead of the tag by Arlington’s Camden Anderson. (Photo by John Fisken)

Oak Harbor coach Cody Anderson, left, meets with his team on the mound Tuesday.(Photo by John Fisken)

Oak Harbor coach Cody Anderson, left, meets with his team on the mound Tuesday. (Photo by John Fisken)

Second baseman Chase Ogden settles under a pop-up.(Photo by John Fisken)

Second baseman Chase Ogden settles under a pop-up. (Photo by John Fisken)

Ethan Pace, who pitched four innings of one-hit ball, toss a pitch against Arlington Tuesday.(Photo by John Fisken)

Ethan Pace, who pitched four innings of one-hit ball, toss a pitch against Arlington Tuesday. (Photo by John Fisken)