Story Updated
Junior varsity results vs. Dallas were added.
For the second time in as many games this season, the Philomath High baseball team lost a lead in the late innings.
But unlike the three-run loss to Santiam Christian in the season opener, the Warriors responded in the face of adversity to pull out an 8-7 victory over Marshfield on the first day of the Newport tournament at Frank Wade Park.
Philomath (1-1) took a 7-3 lead into the seventh when the Pirates came up with four runs to tie the game. All four of those runs were unearned with Marshfield’s first two batters reaching on errors. The Pirates then came through in the clutch with three straight two-outs hits — one-run singles Jonny Calvert and Ryder Easton and a two-run double by Joseph Herbert. Marshfield threatened further by reaching on Philomath’s third error of the inning and a walk to load the bases. But Branden Shenk got out of the jam with a strikeout to keep the game tied, 7-7.
In the bottom half, Chad Russell opened with a single and went to third on a Grant Niemann single. Marshfield then intentionally walked Brady Russell to set up the force. That brought Shenk to the plate and he walked on five pitches to force in the winning run.
Philomath took a 1-0 lead in the first when leadoff batter Silas Pittman walked, advanced on a Mason Stearns single and scored on a ball put into play by David Griffith.
Griffith started at pitcher and had a quality start with two hits, no earned runs and six strikeouts against three walks in four innings.
Down 3-1 in the fifth, Philomath put up a four-spot to take a 5-3 lead. Niemann opened the inning with a single, stole second and scored when Brady Russell reached on an error. Caleb Babcock and Stearns later had one-run singles. Babcock scored when Chad Russell was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.
Philomath went up 7-3 in the sixth by pushing two more runs across. Babcock and Stearns had one-run singles in the inning to set up what would unfold in the seventh.
Stearns went 3 for 4 with three RBIs, Babcock was 2 for 3 with two runs, Niemann finished 2 for 4 and Brady Russell went 1 for 2 with two runs.
Easton led Marshfield (2-4) with a 2-for-3 effort.
Philomath is scheduled to continue play in the tournament on Tuesday with games against Hillsboro at 11:30 a.m. and Valley Catholic at 2 p.m.
