It was a game that the Hoquiam Grizzlies will long remember, and one the Montesano Bulldogs hope to soon forget.
In a battle for first place in the 1A Evergreen League, Hoquiam rallied to score four runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to snatch a 7-6 victory right from Monte’s grasp on Friday in Hoquiam.
The Grizzlies (8-4 overall, 5-0 1A Evergreen) and Bulldogs (9-3, 3-2) were locked in a 1-0 pitcher’s duel between Hoquiam starter Carron Blood and Monte right-hander Riley Timmons through the first three innings, with the lone run of the game scored by Grizzlies pinch-runner Malia Ervin on a Bulldogs error.
RYAN SPARKS | THE DAILY WORLD Hoquiam pitcher Carron Blood pitched all seven innings to pick up a 7-6 win over Montesano on Friday at John Gable Park in Hoquiam.
Montesano took the lead in the top of the fourth when Timmons singled to advance Ember Jones to third. The throw in from the outfield hit Jones in the leg as she was sliding into third base and rolled into foul territory, allowing Jones to race home with the tying run.
One batter later, pinch-runner Addisyn Meservey raced around from second to score on a fielder’s choice ground out by Kennedy Campbell to put the Bulldogs up 2-1.
Monte extended the lead to 3-1 when Kylee Wisdom singled with two outs to drive in Alyssa Maldonado in the fifth inning.
RYAN SPARKS | THE DAILY WORLD Montesano’s Kylee Wisdom, left, gets a high-five after getting a base hit during a 7-6 loss to Hoquiam on Friday in Hoquiam.
In the bottom of the sixth, Hoquiam’s Faith Prosch walked to lead off the inning and was followed by left fielder Ashlinn Cady, who blasted the first pitch she saw over the right field fence for a two-run home run, tying the game at 3-3.
“I was thinking I was going to hit the first pitch because I knew every other pitch she was going to throw would either be outside or inside. I knew the first pitch was going to be a strike down the middle because she wanted to get ahead,” Cady said of her cluth home run. “I was so excited when I saw (Hoquiam first base coach) Gosselin get happy.”
Montesano responded in the seventh inning to seize control of the game. Jordan Karr walked with one out and – after stealing second – scored on a line-drive double off the bat of catcher Alisyn Parkin.
With pinch-runner Regan Wintrip on third and two outs, Timmons doubled to put Monte up 5-3.
The Bulldogs added another insurance run when an infield error led to Kennedy Campbell being safe at first, scoring Meservey for a 6-3 lead.
The wild seventh inning continued in the Hoquiam half of the frame.
With one out and nobody on, an error on a ground ball allowed second baseman Ella Folkers to reach safely. Blood followed with a double to put runners on second and third, giving the Grizzly faithful a glimmer of hope.
RYAN SPARKS | THE DAILY WORLD Hoquiam’s Ella Folkers, left, slides into third while Montesano’s Alyssa Maldonado defends during the Grizzlies’ 7-6 win on Friday in Hoquiam.
Prosch worked a walk to load the bases and was followed by Cady, who reached on Monte’s second error of the inning, scoring Folkers to trim the deficit to 6-4.
Timmons then struck out Macy Dhooghe, putting the Bulldogs one out away from tying the Grizzlies atop the league standings.
But the Bulldogs’ defensive insecurities continued to haunt them.
Avery Howard reached on Monte’s third error of the inning, bringing home Blood to make it a 6-5 game.
With the bases loaded and two outs, Hoquiam right fielder DeVona Sansaver hit a grounder back to Timmons in the circle. Timmons’ throw to first was high, deflecting off the outstretched glove of Wisdom and into foul territory, allowing Prosch and Cady to come home with the tying and game-winning runs, respectively, and setting off a stunned and belated celebration in front of the Hoquiam dugout.
“I saw Riley overthrow the ball and I went for it,” Cady said of scoring the game-winning run. “It means so much and we wanted this for so long. It just feels good.”
“That’s fastpich. That happens,” Hoquiam head coach Keith Reynvaan said of the game’s improbable ending. “We just needed to put the ball in play to make something happen. … We put the ball in play, they made a few mistakes and we were fortunate enough to come out with the victory.”
The loss was a tough one for Montesano, which dropped two games behind Hoquiam for first place in the 1A Evergreen League with three league games left on the schedule.
“I really think we’re scared to win, that’s what it comes down to,” Monte head coach Pat Pace said of his team’s play in the final inning. “We made errors that are all based on fundamentals, which are something we work on every day. We just didn’t follow through with our funamentals. … We’ve got to learn to win against really good teams. That is what it boils down to because we don’t know what that means yet.”
Five of Hoquiam’s seven runs in the game were unearned, including all four runs in the seventh inning.
Monte sits a half-game ahead of Elma and will face the Eagles in a key league matchup at 4 p.m. on Thursday.
Hoquiam holds a two-game lead over Montesano in league play will take on Eatonville at 4 p.m. on Tuesday in Eatonville.
Montesano 000 210 3 – 6 9 6
Hoquiam 010 002 4 – 7 4 2
WP: Blood (7 IP, 6 R, 4 ER, 9 H, 3 BB, 5 K). LP: Timmons (6.2 IP, 7 R, 2 ER, 4 H, 5 BB, 10 K).
Leading hitters: Montesano – Cady (1-4, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI); Blood (1-3, 3B, R); Dhooghe (1-4); Howard (1-4). Hoquiam – Karr (2-4, 2B, R); Parkin (2-4, 2B); Wisdom (2-3, RBI); Timmons (2-4, 2B, RBI); Maldonado (1-3, R).
