The Philomath High School baseball team posted its eighth straight victory with an 8-2 win at Stayton Monday in the Oregon West Conference series opener between the two ball clubs.
Senior Mason Stearns limited the Eagles to five hits in a six-inning performance on the mound and the Warriors took advantage of opportunities to score runs despite getting just four singles in the game.
Philomath (9-4 overall, 4-0 Oregon West) will face Stayton (6-8, 0-4) again at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday at Terry Stephenson Field. The series moves back to Stayton on Thursday.
Stayton took a 1-0 lead into the fourth inning before Philomath erupted for four runs. Stearns and junior Kayson Olsen led off the inning with walks to set up sophomore Caleb Babcock, who delivered with a single to right field. With the help of an error, both Stearns and Olsen scored on the Babcock hit to give Philomath the lead.
Junior Brady Russell reached on a bunt single toward third base to move up Babcock. Junior Grant Niemann followed by reaching on an error while Babcock scored. Russell later scored on sophomore Rocco De La Rosa’s single to left field for a 4-1 advantage.
After Stayton scored to cut the PHS lead to 4-2, the Warriors responded with another four runs in the top of the fifth. Stearns reached on an outfield error and later scored after tagging up on a Babcock pop-out. A few batters later, Niemann singled to left to bring in Olsen and Russell — both of those baserunners getting aboard on walks. Niemann made his way around the bases and scored the team’s eighth run on a passed ball.
Stearns was effective in his latest appearance at pitcher. He walked just two against four strikeouts in addition to the five-hit performance. Sophomore Wylie Griffith came in to pitch the seventh and allowed one hit with one strikeout.
Sophomore Colton Connally went 2 for 3 to lead the Eagles.
