Springfield Sweeps Marion with 6-5 Win
Hunter Meyer in the dugout celebrating during the Drifters 6-5 win over Marion on July 2nd. (Photo by Alyssa Garcia)
By Dillon Zamperin
SPRINGFIELD — After Wednesday night's win, Head Coach Jeff Lye said, “Everyone deserves to go out and have a sweep tomorrow, and we’ll give it our best shot.” On Thursday night, his squad delivered as the Springfield Drifters (9-18, 6-13) defeated the Marion Berries (12-17, 9-16) 6-5 to earn their first sweep of the season in a tightly contested matchup.
“It’s nice to see the task complet[ed]. To have the series won already going into today and not take it for granted… it’s just fun to see,” Lyle said. “It goes way beyond the team that’s on the field. It’s just a top-to-bottom great team effort.”
Fireworks lit up the scoreboard throughout the game and the sky after the win with over 1800 fans in attendance at Hamlin Sports Complex.
All three wins in the series were one-run victories as the pitching and hitting came together all three nights for a perfect 3-0 homestand. Springfield now owns a 7-2 record all-time against Marion, asserting dominance over the Berries.
The Drifters started the scoring right away, putting two runs on the board in the first inning from perfect execution. A leadoff walk from Evan Thomas was followed up by a double from Cooper Mullens. Thomas scored on an RBI groundout from Nolan Miller while Mullens took home on a passed ball during the next at-bat.
After the Berries tied the game in the second inning, the Drifters came out firing in the third, starting with a leadoff walk from Malosi Mata’afa-Alferos. Thomas came up next and hit a double to put both runners in scoring position. Following an RBI groundout from Mullens, Hunter Meyer hit a single to cushion the Drifters’ lead. A few batters later, Meyer came around to score on a two-out, two-RBI double from Colton Perez to give Springfield a four-run lead.
Meyer went 2-for-3 at the plate, scoring one run and driving in one in the win. The sophomore outfielder from Cal State Fullerton continues to be a looming threat at the top of the lineup for the Drifters.
“It’s great to see the result come out of the process,” Lyle said. “Hunter coming out and getting some results from the work that he’s putting in is great, and it’s great for the team.”
The Drifters offense totaled six runs on eight hits and six walks in the best offensive performance of the series. The six runs offensively were Springfield’s highest run total since June 26.
“There’s kind of a party going on in the dugout. There’s a lot of energy,” Lyle said. “Their authenticity is starting to come out. If you’re authentic and have energy, it carries over for the guys that are on the bench, being infectious to the guys that are playing.”
After career nights from several Springfield arms in the first two games of the series, the pitching wasn’t as effective on Thursday but still ended up getting the job done and kept the Drifters in the game throughout the entire night. In addition, all three wins featured three different relievers coming in to earn the save.
“When we started the season, we lost a bunch of arms, and who was going to be able to step up? I think the guys are starting to fill in and get comfortable in their roles, knowing all they have to do is come out and throw one pitch at a time and win that pitch,” Lyle said.
Junior right-hander Ethan Atchley of Rice University got the start for the Drifters, throwing three solid innings, allowing two runs, and striking out four. Atchley ran into some trouble during the second inning, where both runs came across before cleaning it up for a perfect third inning to close the book on his night.
Providing immediate relief was junior Owen Cheyne, who remains in the transfer portal. The left-hander pitched three efficient innings, boosting his resume for his future school. Despite a few struggles in previous appearances, Cheyne’s key to success was keeping an extremely low pitch count. Cheyne threw just 20 pitches in his three innings, allowing him to stay in the game and tie his longest outing as a Drifter.
A bases-loaded jam that resulted in all three runs scored in the seventh inning officially made it a one-run game before Jack Klee limited the damage. Klee, a junior right-hander who recently committed to Ottawa University, finished the seventh before handing the ball off to the southpaw Aiden Gebhard.
Gebhard, a graduate two-way player from Northwest Nazarene, pitched a perfect eighth inning, allowing no hits and striking out two. Lyle, confident in his pitcher, left him in during the ninth inning to earn the two-inning save.
“In so many ways it was needed. It was great for Aiden to come out and contribute on the mound and realize that he has a left arm that is electric,” Lyle said. “To see him come out and be able to contribute was amazing for us.”
The third-year Drifter finished the final frame with another two strikeouts to earn his first save since 2024 with Springfield. His performance also earned him Drifter of the Game honors.
“This is my first one, and it’s pretty awesome. It’s just cool to experience. I finally did it,” Gebhard said. “The Drifters are hot, so watch out.”
The night ended with a wonderful fireworks display to celebrate the Fourth of July and America250.
The Drifters will hit the road for a quick three-game road trip against a tough Corvallis Knights squad to start the second half of the WCL season before returning to Hamlin Sports Complex on July 7 for a six-game homestand.
The Knights and Drifters series begins on Friday night. First pitch is scheduled for 7:15 p.m. The game will be live-streamed for free on the Corvallis Knights’ YouTube Channel.