ANACORTES — The third time was the charm for the Archbishop Murphy baseball team.
In three previous meetings this season, the Wildcats played the Lakewood Cougars and lost two one-run games.
Murphy picked a great time to win their first one-run victory against Lakewood, defeating the Cougars 8-7 in a nine-inning thriller at the 2A District 1 tournament at Daniels Field in Anacortes.
“Anything can happen,” Wildcats’ head coach Stan Taloff said. “You have to play it all.”
Keanen Albright hit a walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth to score Connor Huesers and the 2-hour, 40 minute winner-to-state game was over.
Lakewood defeated Murphy 6-5 on March 15th to open both teams’ seasons and again four days later on the 19th, 13-12.
Albright was just one of many Wildcats to have a big day. Tyler Kane hit a home run in the bottom of the seventh to force the extra innings. Senior Jake Hines finished 2-for-2 with a two-RBI triple and was walked intentionally three times.
“We never expect it,” Taloff said of Kane’s big hit, “but there’s always the capability.”
With the victory, Murphy clinched a 2 p.m. Saturday date with Blaine, a 4-2 winner over Anacortes, in the district championship. The Wildcats are looking to win the tournament for the second straight season. Both teams will be going to state, a task Murphy set out to achieve at the start of the season.
“That was the goal all year,” Taloff said. “You have to get in state for a chance to win.
“We want to play as long as we possibly can.”
Meanwhile, Lakewood will face Sehome, the No. 1 seed out of the Northwest Conference, in a loser-out game with the winner advancing to the third-place game and earning a 2A state berth.
Murphy struck first in the game and actually had the lead going into the top of the seventh inning, but a blown suicide squeeze bunt turned into a steal of home and another incredible bunt by Freddie Perez on a pitchout gave the Cougars a temporary lead.
Lakewood scored seven runs on just six hits, almost one-third of Murphy’s hit total. But the Cougars mastered small ball, getting runners on base early through scattered hits and walks, then sacrificing them around the basepaths.
Lakewood scored three runs in the top of the fourth, it’s most effective inning, to break a 2-2 tie and jump out in front. With the bases loaded, leadoff hitter Lucas Harkins welcomed relief pitcher Kevin Waldron into the game with a two-run single after Andrew Bean had already hit one runner in. Harkins was the only Cougar to have multiple hits (two singles).
Lost in the final score was the pitching performance of senior Scott Harnden. Harnden pitched 62/3 innings, and kept Lakewood in the game.
“Never count Lakewood out of any baseball game,” Taloff said.
The Wildcats recaptured the lead in the bottom of the fifth, and maintained it until the events of the seventh inning unfolded.
“I’m just proud of our guys,” Taloff said. “They hung in there and had to come back three different times.
“It’s not always talent that wins. We have the talent, but it takes talent plus character, and that’s what we built today.”
At Daniels Field
Lakewood011300200—761
A. Murphy200220101—8173
Harnden, Blout (7) and Leach. Davis, Waldron (4), MaVorhis (7) and Peterson. WP-MaVorhis. LP-Blout. 2B-Moore (L), Kane (AM), Varriano (AM). 3B-Hines (AM), Varriano (AM). HR-Kane (AM). Records-Lakewood-11-9 overall. A. Murphy-17-3.
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