Stayton’s Owen Mitzel turned out to be a major difference maker in his team’s 6-5 victory Thursday evening over Philomath.
Not only did Mitzel get the win in relief on the mound for three innings of work and launch a solo home run in the fourth for a 5-3 lead but the Eagles senior alertly sprinted home for the go-ahead run in the sixth while Philomath’s catcher threw to first base on a dropped third strike.
The Warriors (7-10 overall, 3-3 Oregon West) got two runners into scoring position in the top of the seventh with two outs but the game ended on a fly ball to center field. Stayton escaped with a 6-5 victory to take the series.
All three games came down to the final inning. Stayton won on Monday, 5-4, on a walk-off single and the Warriors rallied on Wednesday for an 8-5 win behind strong pitching and a sixth-inning grand slam.
Philomath had solid pitching again in the series finale with senior Wylie Griffith going the distance, allowing five hits, three earned runs and one walk with three strikeouts. The defense struggled, however, with eight errors.
Stayton (14-3, 4-2) got out to a 3-0 lead through two innings before Philomath got on the scoreboard in the third with a pair of runs. Griffith led off the inning when hit by a pitch and later scored when CK Kvidt reached on an error. Junior AJ Altishin singled and scored when junior Rustan Woosley worked a bases-loaded walk.
Stayton, No. 6 in the Oregon School Activities Association power rankings, got back a run in the third for a 4-2 lead but the Warriors again responded. Sophomore Sammy Hernandez walked to open the inning, moved to second on a wild pitch and scored on a single by Griffith.
Mitzel’s homer in the fourth put the home team up by two runs. But Philomath tied the score, 5-5, in the top of the fifth. Junior Jacob Hernandez smacked a one-out triple and sophomore Jayce Iverson followed with a single. Griffith later hit a two-out single to keep the inning going and then Altishin delivered with a single to drive in Iverson.
In the bottom of the sixth with the game still tied, Mitzel and senior Oliver Hunt sparked Stayton’s offense with back-to-back singles, the latter moving Mitzel over to third. That set up the opportunity for Mitzel to score what would turn out to be the winning run.
Altishin went 3 for 4, Griffith was 2 for 2 and Jacob Hernandez had the three-bagger at the plate for Philomath. Mitzel and Hunt each had two hits to lead Stayton’s hitters.
The Warriors will now turn their attention to Cascade for a three-game series next week. The Warriors will host games on Monday and Thursday with the Wednesday game to be played on the Turner campus. The Cougars will enter the series with records of 5-1 in the conference, 6-11 overall.
Stayton 6, Philomath 5
Thursday, April 30, at Stayton HS
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E Philomath (7-10, 3-3) 0 0 2 1 2 0 0 5 7 8 Stayton (14-3, 4-2) 2 1 1 1 0 1 x 6 5 1
Griffith and Herbert; Brown, Mitzel (4), Bergdahl (7) and Thiessen. W — Mitzel. L — Griffith. S — Bergdahl. 3B — J. Hernandez (P). HR — Mitzel (S).
Junior varsity: Stayton 8, Philomath 7.