This loss hurt Oak Harbor in more ways than one.

Stanwood rallied from four runs down in the final inning to defeat the Oak Harbor High School baseball team 8-6 Friday, April 22, on the Wildcats’ diamond.

In addition to the sting of surrendering a late lead, the Wildcats increased the difficulty of qualifying for the playoffs with the loss.

Oak Harbor (2-8, 4-10) is now three games out of fourth place, the final playoff position, with five games left. Clawing back into the postseason hunt won’t be easy because three of the remaining games are against first-place Arlington (8-1, 10-4).

Oak Harbor hosts the Eagles at 4 p.m. Tuesday, April 26, and Friday, April 29, and goes to Arlington Wednesday, April 27.

Oak Harbor led Stanwood 6-2 going into the seventh inning. The Spartans began the seventh with three consecutive hits, chasing Oak Harbor starter Tyler Snavely. Stanwood would go on to score six runs from that point on only one more hit. Three Wildcat errors, two passed balls and a mental mistake helped the Spartans rally back.

After Stanwood scored a run in the top of the first, Oak Harbor countered with a run in its half. Snavely walked and scored on Rob Herring’s two-out triple over the right fielder’s head.

Oak Harbor scored four times in the third. Steven Richards and Trent Benson sandwiched singles around Herring being hit by a pitch to load the bases. Consecutive walks to Dylan Bailey and Will Danielson scored two runs, then a fielder’s choice and error added two more.

The Spartans scored in the top of the fifth, then Oak Harbor matched it in the bottom half. Bailey and Brandon Philp walked, and Bailey scored on Aaron Martinez’s base hit. That made it 6-2 and set up the Spartans’ comeback.

The Wildcats had only five hits in the game. Herring hit a double to go along with his triple, and Richards, Benson and Martinez singled.

(Brandon Philp hits a grounder against Stanwood Friday. Photo by John Fisken.)