The odds were certainly stacked against the Medical Lake High School baseball team in order to keep its season alive. The mission: win every one of the contests in the four-games in four-days weather-affected schedule that closed the season.
The Cardinals lost all four, 13-9 at Newport May 1, 9-1 at Riverside May 2, on May 3 by a 7-3 count at home to Deer Park and finally, 13-3, May 4 at Deer Park. The Cardinals finished the season on a 12-game losing streak and were 1-13 in Northeast A League play, 3-16 overall for first year head coach Austin Sharp.
Of the setbacks, perhaps the first game might have been one of the most disappointing as after rallying from a 6-2 deficit to lead 9-7, Newport (1-13, 2-13) scored six runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to earn the win, and the tie for last place in the NEA with ML.
Weston Thomas —who, according to his coach just a week ago suffered a dislocated shoulder and missed playing time — worked his way through that rough start against the Grizzlies to pitch five innings and give up just one run.
Dylan Yarnell was 3 for 3 with two doubles and what should have been a stand-up triple. “It hit off the top of the fence and our runners had to hold to see if it was going to be caught,” Sharp said. Yarnall only got a single out of it.
“There was also a suicide squeeze play with Seth Mayer at the plate; a 280-pound kid, you don’t expect (him) to put down a bunt,” Sharp said. He executed it perfectly and Trevor Hurt-Moran scored the run.
Against Riverside (7-7, 8-9), “We just didn’t hit the ball,” Sharp said. Other than Ben Evans who had two of the Cardinals’ five hits.
On Senior Night against Colville (7-7, 8-11), Evans got one more chance in his Cardinal uniform and both pitched and hit well, Sharp said.
“He came in and just threw gas,” Sharp said. “He was throwing mid-80s (mph), he struck out six and gave up three hits.” Evans also earned a spot on the All-NEA first team as its designated hitter.
At Deer Park (10-4, 13-5), a five-run first and six-run second put the game out of reach almost immediately. Hurt-Moran had a pair of hits.
“They hit the heck out of the ball,” Sharp said of the Stags. Yarnell pitched, but “We just didn’t have any support behind him on some balls that should have been caught,” he added.
Sharp will now concentrate on summer baseball where interest is still strong to improve, so much so that Medical Lake has plans to field both AA and A-level American Legion teams.
He will do so with players armed with the attitude that they need to do more than just hit the field. “The kids realized that to play in this league they need to play summer ball,” Sharp said. “And be in the weight room.”
Paul Delaney can be reached at [email protected].
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