Gulls stage late rally to tie, then win in the 10th

Published 6:57 am Friday, July 14, 2017

The Seaside Junior Baseball team has spent most of the summer playing exciting games with dramatic finishes.

They’ve won a few and lost a few, but Thursday scored their biggest win of ’em all, with a 7-6, 10-inning victory over Barley Brown’s of Baker City in a first round game of the annual Wood Bat Tournament.

Seaside rallied from a 6-2 deficit with four runs in the bottom of the seventh, then pushed across a run in the 10th on a bases-loaded hit by Alex Teubner with no outs for the win.

The Gulls will face Central in a semifinal game tonight (5:30 p.m. at Broadway Field), on Day 2 of the three-day, eight-team tournament.

In other action Thursday, Scappoose defeated Warrenton 4-1, while Churchill topped St. Helens 11-0, and Central defeated Madison.

In Thursday’s final game between Baker City and Seaside, Baker dominated the first five innings, building a 6-2 lead and outhitting the Gulls 10-3.

The last five frames, however, belonged to Seaside.

Baker City’s Sam McCauley was pitching a masterpiece through the first five innings, but walked two in the sixth, then gave up four hits and also hit a batter in the seventh, before being relieved in the eighth.

The Gulls’ rally in the seventh featured a leadoff single by Gage McFadden, and teammate Payton Westerholm was hit by a pitch to put two runners on.

They both advanced on a ground-out by Teubner.

McFadden raced home on an infield single by Duncan Thompson, and Brayden Johnson followed with a double down the left field line that scored two runs.

Moments later, an errant throw by Baker City allowed Johnson to score the game-tying run.

After a scoreless eighth and ninth, Seaside opened the bottom of the 10th with consecutive singles by Paxson VanNortwich and McFadden, and a walk to Westerholm. Teubner’s hit over a drawn-in outfield allowed VanNortwich to easily score the game-winner.

Seaside pitchers Thompson and McFadden allowed 15 hits with six strikeouts and a walk, while two Baker City pitchers gave up 10 hits, with six strikeouts, six walks and four hit batters. Seaside stranded 14 base runners.

Warrenton led 1-0 through four inning and had the tying run at the plate in the bottom of the seventh, but Scappoose escaped with a 4-1 win over the Warriors in the Wood Bat Tournament opener Thursday morning.

Warrenton’s Devin Jackson pitched a complete game, allowing just three hits with six strikeouts and six walks. Four Scappoose pitchers also gave up three hits, with a combined seven strikeouts and seven walks.

It all came down to one big hit in a fifth inning rally by the Indians.

With two runners on base, a fly-out to center had the Warriors one out away from escaping the jam, but the Indians drew a pair of walks to load the bases, and the next batter followed with a three-run triple to right field.

Warrenton’s Dalton Knight had a one-out single in the seventh and teammate Austin Little drew a base on balls, but after a pitching change, Scappoose retired the next two batters in order to end the game.

Little and Duane Falls also had hits for the Warriors, who stranded nine base runners.

Defensively, Warrenton turned a pair of double plays.

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