Chaos Creates Offensive Opportunities in 5-3 Win Over Walla Walla
Kaden Harris delievers a pitch for the Drifters. (Photo by Isaac Abrego)
By Henry Light
SPRINGFIELD – After Tuesday night’s series-opening loss to Walla Walla, Drifters Head Coach Jeff Lyle stressed the importance of early traffic on the bases and punching first. In game two, his players responded with a first-inning run, 13 total baserunners and a 5-3 win.
Lyle also stressed that the pitching staff did enough to win the opening game while the offensive struggle caused them to press for perfection. Five Springfield pitchers proved him right in game two, combining to allow nine hits and just one walk.
Springfield (10-22, 7-16) found a much-needed combination of offensive and defensive success to respond to all of its coach’s requests and leave the Sweets (20-15, 15-11) fighting for a rubber match on Thursday.
“We talked about it a little bit today — not enough to try to set any panic — but about punching first, about scoring first, and being able to play with the lead,” Lyle said. “Tonight, we did that. We took a little bit of pressure off the pitching staff, and the staff continued to do what they do.”
The Drifters took advantage of Walla Walla miscues to score the opening run in the bottom of the first, with a no-out hit-by-pitch moving Hunter Meyer’s leadoff walk into scoring position. Meyer scored from third on a high fly ball by Johnny Elliot that fell in front of the right fielder for an RBI single.
“I was honestly just trying to get a hit, but he didn't throw me what I wanted, so I just left it,” Meyer said. “It felt pretty good to start off with a walk, start off hot, and I think that was a big first step.”
Ethan Atchley began the game dealing for the Drifters, picking up two strikeouts in the first two innings while stranding two runners at first base. Atchley recorded three straight outs in the third inning, but a leadoff double came around to score in the process.
The Drifters’ third-inning response effort ended with runners on second and third, but Aiden Gebhard created more traffic in the fourth with a two-out single. Meyer promptly cashed in with a triple down the right-field line, putting the Drifters ahead 2-1.
Atchley stayed steady on the mound through the fifth inning, ending his outing with consecutive 1-2-3 innings, retiring nine straight batters to finish with three strikeouts and just one run allowed on two hits.
Karsten Hansen led off the Drifters’ insurance effort in the bottom of the sixth inning with a single, which Kahaku Harrison turned into a threat with a double. Again, the traffic on the bases that the Drifters had lacked came through, with Gebhard’s sharp grounder to second getting through to give Springfield a 4-1 lead.
Hansen starred in both halves of the eighth inning, erasing a runner in scoring position with a putout at second from shallow left field before parlaying the momentum into a leadoff triple to the warning track. Hansen tacked on the Drifters’ fifth run on a sacrifice fly by Gebhard.
“That's crazy how that happens in baseball, right? You make a great play, and then you lead off, and you do something special. He's just doing a great job of letting the game come to him; he's not pressing, and he has a very clear mindset right now,” Lyle said.
Walla Walla pushed across two runs in the ninth, but the Drifters salvaged game two to set up a rubber match tomorrow.
“The result will take care of itself, but if we come out with good energy, good effort, stick with our game plan, and punch first, we’ve got a real good chance,” Lyle said.
First pitch for the decisive game is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. The game will be streamed on the Drifters’ YouTube channel.
We’ll also be celebrating Grateful Drifters Night at Hamlin Sports Complex. Fans are encouraged to show up in their favorite tie-dye attire. Tickets are available at DriftersBaseball.com