During this senior season in Philomath High’s baseball program, senior Kash Lindsey embraces his role as a designated hitter.
“When I go out there, when I step on the field, the only thing I’ve got to worry about is what I’m doing at the plate,” he said after Philomath’s 8-4 win Wednesday over Stayton. “I’ve just got to hit like I know, step up to the plate and do what I can for my team.”
Gallery: PHS baseball vs. Stayton (April 17, 2024)
A collection of photos from Philomath High’s 8-4 baseball win over Stayton at Terry Stephenson Field on Wednesday
In Lindsey’s final plate appearance against the Eagles, Philomath was clinging to a 5-4 lead in the bottom of the sixth inning. The Warriors had loaded the bases with no outs but after Stayton made a pitching change, back-to-back strikeouts created the possibility that they might all be stranded. And if the game went to the seventh with only one run separating the two teams, who knows what might happen.
But Lindsey delivered. Down 0-2 in the count, he connected on a single just over third base to drive in two runs and give the Warriors a 7-4 lead. Another run later scored on a wild pitch to account for the final margin.
“You always want to do good but at the end of the day, it’s just another at-bat,” Lindsey said after a short postgame team meeting. “You can’t go up there all nervous; you’ve just got to go up there and swing like you know how and that’s what I did. And it worked out in our favor.”
Coach Levi Webber was definitely happy to see Lindsey come through because the Warriors had been struggling to take advantage of scoring opportunities most of the game.
“The whole game offensively, we had opportunity after opportunity with guys at third base and less than two outs and we just kind of kept letting those opportunities go,” Webber said. “You get to the bottom of the sixth with a one-run lead and the bases loaded with nobody out and we go back-to-back strikeouts and it looks a little bleak and Kash got down to two strikes but did a great job of putting the ball in play and finding a way to make something happen.”
Junior Kayson Olsen finished 2 for 3 and seven other players in the lineup had hits. Five of the team’s nine hits went for extra bases.
“Offensively all day, the two-out game is where we were at,” Webber said. “I think we scored all eight runs with two outs. Like we tell these guys all the time, two-out RBIs, they get you to heaven and a lot of good things come from them so it was great to see Kash get that hit in that situation.”
Philomath (10-4 overall, 5-0 Oregon West) clinched the series with its second straight win this week over the Eagles (6-9, 0-5) and will go for the sweep on the road at 4:30 p.m. Thursday. The Warriors have now won nine straight games after a 1-4 start and are tied for first place in the conference with North Marion.
Philomath never trailed after building a 4-0 lead through the first two innings. In the first, junior Grant Niemann hit a one-run single and in the second, the Warriors added three more on a two-run triple by senior Mason Stearns and a one-run single by Olsen.
Stayton pulled to within 4-2 in the third but Philomath countered with a run in the fourth on a one-run single by sophomore Caleb Babcock. The Eagles picked up a run in the fifth to make it 5-3 in the final inning for PHS starter Joe Barnes, the team’s hard-throwing junior.
Barnes threw 104 pitches and allowed three hits and five walks with six strikeouts. Webber said he was proud of the way he’s been composing himself on the mound.
“It isn’t always pretty — he can get some guys on base, walk some guys and it can be outside of the zone but the one thing Joe has yet to do this year is let things snowball,” Webber said. “He’s done a really good job of managing once something goes wrong or they get some guys on base.”
Barnes has shown the ability to work out of those situations for the past couple of games now.
“Against Sweet Home it was kind of the same thing. He didn’t have his best stuff but he did a great job of competing when he had to and found ways to get out of innings and that’s what he’s going to need to do,” Webber said.
Junior Wylie Griffith threw the final two innings. Stayton did get something going in the sixth to pull within one at 5-4. After the Warriors went up by four runs, Griffith finished off the visitors in the seventh — the final out coming on a strikeout looking.
Behind the plate, Niemann knocked down several balls in the dirt to keep the ball in front of him and freeze Stayton base runners.
“Early on, he was a little shaky, had a couple pop out of his glove, but fortunately it didn’t cost us but he’s just so gritty back there and does a great job of keeping balls in front and doesn’t allow balls in the dirt to turn into runs or multiple bases,” Webber said. “He works his tail off and it’s nice to have somebody that you can really trust like that.”
For Lindsey, the season has been a lot of fun.
“It’s great to be out here with the guys that I grew up playing with and it’s even better when you click all the time,” Lindsey said. “No matter if somebody’s messing up, you always get behind them, lighting a fire under each other … you’re playing well and it’s an all-around great experience playing with the guys we’ve got.”
