With the game approaching three hours and a light mist beginning to fall on Friday night, Gladstone High’s baseball team appeared to be well on its way to a decisive victory for a fun 90-minute ride home.
The Gladiators took an 11-3 lead into the bottom of the seventh. Just three outs away from starting their season 2-0. But Philomath refused to go down without a fight and came all the way back to tie the game, 11-11, on a sacrifice fly to center field by senior Caleb Babcock.
Then junior A.J. Altishin took his turn at the plate — and sent a stunned Gladstone team off the field with their heads hanging while the Warriors celebrated a walk-off three-run shot and a 14-11 win.
“There’s no point for me to get up there and be nervous for that because to me, it’s just like any other at-bat,” said Altishin, who is in his third year with the varsity despite being an underclassman. “I’m just going to stay within myself and do what I do best and that’s to try and barrel up the ball.”
Altishin had never hit a home run to end a game, although he did once have a walk-off double on the same field. The game had shades of a moment last season when Grant Niemann capped a dramatic come-from-behind win over Stayton with a walk-off home run. As it happened, that was also the game in which Altishin hit his first high school home run.
Philomath (1-1) needed a lift after losing on the 10-run rule two days earlier in its season opener at Crescent Valley. The Warriors then had the rough start against the Gladiators, most of the pain coming from 10 errors in the field.
The Warriors opened the bottom of the seventh by loading the bases. Junior Gavin Bennett knocked a single to center, senior Wylie Griffith worked a walk and senior Caleb Babcock took one for the team. Altishin then drew a walk to force home Bennett.
Still down by a considerable margin at 11-4, the Warriors scored again when junior Jacob Hernandez was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. Junior Rustan Woosley followed with an infield single to bring in the sixth run.
After sophomore Sammy Hernandez hit a one-out, two-run single to right-center, Gladstone’s coach decided to make a change at pitcher. The Warriors were trailing only 11-8 and the Gladiators had two more outs to go to claim victory.
The opponent’s fresh pitcher, however, hit junior Cameron Herbert and the bases were again loaded. Bennett followed with a walk to force in the ninth run. Gladstone’s coach again went to the bullpen.
Again, a change on the mound didn’t produce the results that the Gladiators were seeking. Griffith displayed patience at the plate and had a run-producing walk for the second time in the inning. The Warriors trailed only 11-10 with one out and Babcock walking up to the plate.
Babcock sent the ball into center field for the out but Herbert had time to tag up at third and sprint home to tie the game. That set the stage for Altishin’s heroics.
His teammates mobbed him at home plate in celebration.
“I’m seeing better attitudes than I’ve ever seen before here,” Altishin said when asked to comment on what he sees with this year’s squad. “I’m not going to name names but I know we’ve had a couple of toxic attitudes in a way (in the past) but this team seems to be straight-shooting guys and that should be a really fun team to play with. I think once we gel together, we’ll really be able to do something special.”
The errors were an issue, especially early in the game. Altishin started on the mound for the Warriors and through three innings, allowed just one hit and no earned runs. Unfortunately for the home team, the miscues had put PHS into a 7-0 hole.
“I tried to go and compete like I always do,” Altishin said about his first start this season. “I know my guys are going to have good D behind me when they really need to … I’m still confident about the rest of the season — not worried about that.”
Philomath scored three runs in the third. Bennett led off with a single to left and Griffith walked before Babcock slammed a double down the first-base line into right field. That got the team’s first run home. Altishin followed with a two-run single to right field.
Altishin finished the evening with a 3-for-4 performance with one walk and six RBIs. Bennett went 2 for 3 and scored three runs. Griffith didn’t get a hit but had three key walks and scored each time he reached base. Babcock and Sammy Hernandez each had two-run hits.
Altishin did have some control issues at pitcher with four walks in his three innings of work but he also struck out five. Junior CK Kvidt went two innings and allowed two hits and one walk with two earned runs. Jacob Hernandez pitched the final two innings and allowed two hits and no runs with a pair of walks and four strikeouts.
In all, the Warriors’ pitchers allowed just five hits — a remarkable statistic with 11 runs scored against them but understandable because of the excessive errors.
Gladstone’s leadoff batter, junior Matthew Contreras, led his team by going 3 for 5 with three RBIs. Starter Nolan Marcoe, sophomore, went 4-2/3 innings and allowed five hits, three runs and three walks with five strikeouts.
Although the two teams won’t play again, Philomath and Gladstone will both head to the Riverhawk Baseball Invitational at The Dalles next week with four games on the schedule. The Warriors open with a 12:30 p.m. contest on Monday against Astoria and follow with 6:30 p.m. games against Henley on Tuesday, St. Helens on Wednesday and the host Riverhawks on Thursday.
Philomath 14, Gladstone 11
Friday, March 20, at Terry Stephenson Field, Philomath HS
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E Gladstone (1-1) 0 5 2 0 4 0 0 11 5 1 Philomath (1-1) 0 0 3 0 0 0 11 14 9 10
Altishin, Kvidt (4), J. Hernandez (6) and Herbert; Marcoe, Ingram (5), Marcoe (7), Recabaren (7) and Andrada. W — J. Hernandez. L — Recabaren. 2B — Babcock. HR — Altishin.
