In low-scoring pitchers’ duel Monday afternoon, North Marion edged Philomath, 3-2, to strengthen its hold on first place in the Oregon West Conference baseball standings.
Huskies junior Dawson Schrenk and Warriors senior Brayden Shenk both turned in complete-game performances and the hits were hard to come by against either pitcher. Schrenk allowed four hits and one walk with seven strikeouts while Shenk gave up five hits with no walks and six strikeouts.
The Huskies, which lead the league with a 12-1 record and now have a three-game lead over the second-place team, scored two unearned runs in the fourth with a pair of PHS errors helping the home team get on the scoreboard. In the fifth, North Marion added another run on Blaine Smith’s one-run single.
The Warriors tried to rally in the sixth and scored twice to set up a thrilling finish. Logan Matthews started the inning with a single and two batters later, Mason Stearns singled to give Philomath a pair of base runners. Caleb Babcock moved the runners up a base on a ground-ball out to first base. With two outs, Kash Lindsey reached on an error while both Matthews and Stearns scored.
In the seventh, Rocco De La Rosa reached on an error but was picked off. David Griffith worked a walk to give Philomath hope but the game ended on a strikeout.
Stearns went 2 for 3 for the Warriors and Blaine Smith was 2 for 3 for North Marion, which is No. 4 in the OSAA rankings and improved to 16-5 overall.
Philomath (10-11 overall, 5-7 Oregon West) is scheduled to host North Marion at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday.
