Hunter Smith prepares to go ballistic on another pitcher. (Charlotte Smith photos)
The Oak Harbor Babe Ruth team, which includes five Coupeville Middle School players.
The “Battle of the Harbors” ended with a magnificent meltdown.
At least if you were an Oak Harbor fan, that is.
Friday Harbor’s pitcher lost the ability to get the ball over the plate at the worst possible moment Wednesday, plunking three hitters in a row as he tried to hold a one-run lead in the seventh.
That was just the beginning, as a string of walks allowed the Wildcat Babe Ruth baseball squad to turn a 2-1 deficit into a somewhat unexpected 8-2 romp and a berth in the championship game of the district tourney.
Oak Harbor, which features five players from Coupeville, will face Ferndale 5:30 PM Thursday at Rotary Park in Burlington with a chance to punch its ticket to next month’s state championships.
Win, and they’re guaranteed a trip to Spokane for the July 8-11 tournament. Lose, and they’ll get another game.
The top two teams from this district advance to state, but, even if things suddenly go disastrously wrong for the ‘Cats and they lose two straight, they could still get in as a wild card team.
Even hard-core fans are a little confused by the last possibility.
“I don’t understand it,” said team dad (and hockey buff) Joe Lippo. “It’s more confusing than World Cup!”
Continue to keep their hot streak alive and the ‘Cats won’t have to bother about point differential, however. Win and you’re in.
One of Oak Harbor’s Central Whidbey imports kicked things off with a bang against Friday Harbor, which was the #1 seed.
Hunter Smith led off the game and whacked a shot under the fence for a ground rule double. He came around to score shortly after on a deep sac fly off the bat of teammate Corey Roberts.
Then, the runs came to a screeching halt for Oak Harbor.
Down by one entering the top of the seventh and final inning, the ‘Cats needed a miracle. And they found more than one.
Coupeville’s Gabe Eck chipped a single to right, then Will Danielson added his own hit.
Kamryn Mebane hit a wicked shot right back at the pitcher, who juggled it before getting Mebane at first.
That was enough for the fleet-footed Eck to sprint home with the tying run, setting up the possibility of extra innings.
They weren’t necessary, however, because Mebane’s smash apparently rattled the Friday Harbor pitcher big time.
Thomas Anderson reached on an error, and Coupeville’s Joey Lippo walked, juicing the bags. Then the dam broke, one bad pitch at a time.
Three Oak Harbor hitters in a row were plunked, breaking the tie. After that, Friday Harbor stopped putting its pitches into the ribs of ‘Cat hitters, but walked another three runs home before getting out of the inning.
Thoroughly deflated, Friday Harbor went down quietly in the bottom of the seventh, sealing the win for Whidbey’s finest.
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