MARYSVILLE — The umpires for Friday’s baseball game between Jackson and Marysville Pilchuck were about 10 minutes late to the ball field.
The Tomahawks’ offense started right on time.
Marysville Pilchuck’s Nic Anderson belted a two-run homer in the bottom of the first inning to get things going for the Tomahawks, who defeated Jackson 11-1 in six innings in a non-conference contest.
“The long bomb does help,” Marysville Pilchuck head coach Kurt Koshelnik said. “The first couple guys were aggressive … and good things happen when we’re aggressive. That’s kind of what we preach here. Next thing you know, you have a bit of a lead and everybody’s looser and it’s more enjoyable.”
Landon Riker led off the bottom of the first inning with a single and Anderson followed with a two-run shot well over the 364-feet sign in left centerfield. The Tomahawks’ next batter, Trent Tinglestad, walked and later scored on a wild pitch to give Marysville Pilchuck a 3-0 lead.
The Tomahawks added three runs in the third inning, three more in the fourth and scored twice in the bottom of the sixth, ending the game in accordance with the 10-run rule.
“It’s a confidence thing,” Koshelnik said of the MP offense, which tallied 12 hits. “It shouldn’t matter, but we have 16-, 17-, 18-year-old kids here and when things are going well, everybody feels a little bit better. We’ll ride that wave.”
In 2014, the Tomahawks hit just one home run.
Four games into this season, Marysville Pilchuck (3-1 overall) already has matched last year’s home run total thanks to Anderson’s homer.
“That was a good start. It was a little bit wind-aided, and I’ll tell Nic that, but he hit that ball hard,” Koshelnik said with a laugh. “I’m happy for him.”
Anderson finished the game 2-for-2 with three walks — including one with the bases loaded — and four RBI. His final RBI came on a single in the bottom of the sixth to once again score Riker and end the game.
Riker (3-for-4) added a double, an RBI and two runs scored, and Tristen Southard was 2-for-3 with three RBI for the Tomahawks.
“We’ve been playing a bunch of guys and every guy that’s coming in is doing what they’re supposed to be doing. They’re busting it,” Koshelnik said. “And I kind of like where we’re at.
“I think we’re figuring some stuff out and we’re really just getting innings in and hopefully improving every game — which I think we are,” Koshelnik continued. “We’re never going to be perfect, but we’re getting a little bit better every day. We’re excited to see how things unfold here.”
The 11 runs were more than enough for Marysville Pilchuck starter Parker House, who allowed just one run in five innings. The plan was for House to exit before the fifth, but the right-hander made it tough to take him out of the game.
“He did a great job,” Koshelnik said. “No runs until the fifth. … The plan was to let him go three or four, and he was doing great so he kept going.”
Jackson (2-3) was able to break through for its lone run in the top of the fifth inning on an RBI single by Alex Cheesman that scored Anton Soderqvist. Aaron Avalos led the Timberwolves, going 2-for-3 with a double.
“They hit us hard,” Jackson head coach Kirk Nicholson said. “We have lots to learn from this game. But the big thing to learn from this game is that they don’t count until next Wednesday (when conference games start). We’ve got a lot of work to do.”
At Marysville Pilchuck H.S.
(Six innings)
Jackson 000 010 — 1 8 3
Marysville Pilchuck 303 302 — 11 12 1
Alec Anderson, Skye Marchall (3), Alex Cheesman (4) and Gavin O’Donnell. Parker House, Ben White (6) and Zack Barker, Dylen Boomer (5). WP–House. LP–Anderson. 2B–Aaron Avalos (J), Landon Riker (MP), Trey Southard (MP). HR–Nic Anderson (MP). Records–Jackson 2-3 overall. Marysville Pilchuck 3-1.
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