EDMONDS — Jorgen Arnesen knew his task: help bury the memory of the fiasco that occurred 24 hours earlier.
All Arnesen did was shut down an offense that ran wild the day before.
The Edmonds-Woodway High School pitcher tossed a six-hitter, leading the Warriors to a 2-1 victory over the Jackson Timberwolves on Wednesday afternoon in Wesco 4A North baseball action.
Jackson thrashed Edmonds-Woodway on Tuesday, winning 11-0 with the game ending after five innings because of the mercy rule.
But Arnesen carved up a Jackson lineup that pounded the Warriors the previous day. And he knew, as the pitcher, it was his responsibility to respond to Tuesday’s result.
“After that game we had to come back,” Arnesen said. “We’re not going to lose two out of the three games, so we had to come out and be the ones on top.
“I really thought about it at school, we got here early today to take some (batting practice), and we held together as a team. It was nice.”
It was a crucial performance for Edmonds-Woodway (6-2 league, 9-4 overall), which evened the series at one game apiece. The rubber game is Friday at Jackson.
“It was a great game,” Edmonds-Woodway coach Dan Somoza said. “A 2-1 game with Jackson is always a fun and exciting game. (Tuesday) Jackson just came out and hit and put it to us. But I’m glad with the way our guys responded back after getting 10 runned.”
Mac McLachlan and Alex Hull doubled to lead Edmonds-Woodway’s offense.
Joakim Soderqvist tripled and Alek Baumgartner had two hits for Jackson (5-3, 7-4). Pitchers Tyler Wingert and Joris Beasley combined to limit the Warriors to four hits.
“It was a good baseball game,” Jackson coach Kirk Nicholson said. “I thought guys did some things well, pitchers got into some troubles and got out of them. It was a 2-1 baseball game, I’ve got no complaints. I thought my kids competed. We left six guys in scoring position, but I’m not saying that’s on us, their pitcher is pretty good.”
Arnesen wasn’t perfect Wednesday, but he came up with big pitches when he needed them. The left-hander continually dropped his breaking ball over the plate for strikes, finishing with five strikeouts during his seven innings. He also worked out of several jams, including escaping the top of the first inning unscathed after the T-wolves loaded the bases.
“I really found my curveball and I was able to control it,” Arnesen said. “There were a few games I wasn’t able to, but I’ve been really working on it. I’ve been able to get it down.”
Edmonds-Woodway gave Arnesen all the runs he needed in the bottom of the first inning. Jackson had just been denied in the top of the first when Arnesen struck out Alec Kisena with the bases loaded. Then when the Warriors loaded the bases in the bottom of the first, McLachlan made the T-wolves pay. With one out, McLachlan ripped a double to the wall in left-center, plating two runs to stake Edmonds-Woodway to a 2-0 lead.
Jackson got one run back in the third. Soderqvist led off by putting a deep fly off the wall in right for a triple. He scored on Conor Plaisance’s groundout to short to make it 2-1.
The T-wolves continued to threaten, putting runners at third each of the next two innings. But Arnesen got himself out of trouble both times, ending the fourth with a groundout and the fifth with a strikeout. Those were Jackson’s last chances as Arnesen faced the minimum six batters in the final two frames to polish off the victory.
At Edmonds-Woodway H.S.
Jackson 001 000 0—1 6 2
Edmonds-Woodway 200 000 x—2 5 1
Tyler Wingert, Jaris Beasley (5) and Alex Kiel. Jorgen Arnesen and Tate Budnick. WP—Arnesen (2-0). LP—Wingert. 2B—Alek Baumgartner (J), Mac McLachlan (EW), Alex Hull (EW). 3B—Joakim Soderqvist (J). Records—Edmonds-Woodway 6-2 league, 9-4 overall. Jackson 5-3, 7-4.
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