Drifters Drop 4-3 Heartbreaker to Walla Walla
By Addison Cerezo
WALLA WALLA, Wash. – Coming off the heels of an exciting 5-2 victory in the series opener, the Springfield Drifters (6-14, 3-8) fell to the Walla Walla Sweets (12-11, 9-8) in a 4-3 nailbiter Wednesday night at Borleske Stadium. Strong pitching performances from both staffs made the contest a toss-up all the way until the eighth inning, when a series of unfortunate events sank the Drifters' hopes of an early series victory.
The scoring opened in the second inning, with the Sweets rattling off a pair of hits before a sacrifice fly brought the first run of the game in. Mount Marty right-hander Kaden Harris was able to settle into the inning, retiring the next two hitters to avoid a crooked number. Harris, whose day ended after five innings, allowed just two runs while striking out five. He looked sharp all the way through, utilizing his pitches efficiently to get outs.
“Takes a bit of pressure off the bullpen,” second-year skipper Jeff Lyle said. “It gives the offense a chance to stay within one swing the whole game.”
The Drifters did not take kindly to their newfound deficit and fought back immediately. Los Angeles Valley College’s two-way player Tristan Jennings doubled for the second time of the summer to start the rally. Jennings advanced to third on a single off the bat of Michigan second baseman Cooper Mullens. An RBI groundout from Cal St. Fullerton outfielder Hunter Meyer brought Jennings in to tie the game, but Springfield wasn’t finished. LJ Layhew, the Rice catcher, smacked a single into right field, advancing to second on an error that gave the Drifters the lead.
“Those were some of the newer guys that were involved in that,” Lyle recalled. “Regardless of who it is or how long they’ve been here, when positive things happen, it’s contagious, and it becomes kind of like a fountain spreading the joy of successful baseball.”
Layhew finished his afternoon 1-3 with a walk. His second-inning single gave the Drifters the lead at the time. The Houston, Texas, native also threw out a baserunner in the first inning.
The scoring continued just a couple of minutes later, with the Sweets tying it back up on another sacrifice fly. This would be all the knocks on Harris, as he’d shut down Walla Walla in the fourth and fifth innings, putting the finishing touches on his great start.
Northwest Nazarene’s two-way player Aiden Gebhard was the first man out of the bullpen for Springfield, and it took a couple of hitters for him to settle in. A walk, a fly out, a single and another walk would load the bases with one out, but Gebhard was able to retire the final two batters of the inning, coughing up the lead thanks to a third Sweets sacrifice fly.
The Drifters threatened to score once more in the eighth, with Mullens reaching on a two-base error and advancing to third on a bunt. But the hero of the inning would be University of Portland first baseman Nolan Miller, who roped a single through the right side, tying the game and putting the pressure back on Walla Walla. Miller finished his day 1-4, with the eighth-inning RBI. It was the second straight game with an RBI single for the Eugene, Oregon, native.
The Sweets weren’t done at the plate. An unlucky series of events in the bottom of the eighth gave the Sweets the lead one final time after a walk on a pitch clock violation and a subsequent hit by pitch with the bases loaded brought home the game-winning run for Walla Walla, sealing the deal for the Sweets.
“We had a chance to win. We made a couple of mistakes,” Lyle said. “We didn’t handle the ball in a crucial moment. Other than that, it was a pretty clean game.”
The loss meant the Drifters, who still seek their first series win of the summer, will play their seventh rubber match in their eight series so far this summer. Catch the decisive game of the series Thursday at 6:35 p.m. on the West Coast League Streaming App. Live stats available at WCLStats.com.