ANACORTES — It looked as though the Archbishop Murphy Wildcats were going to get the perfect start to the 2A District 1 championship baseball game.
But in an instant the game did a U-turn, and instead it was the Anacortes Seahawks who were celebrating a title at the end.
A big swing between the top and bottom of the first inning proved to be the difference as the Seahawks defeated the Wildcats 6-1 Friday evening at Volunteer Field to claim the district championship.
Both teams loaded the bases in their half of the first. Archbishop Murphy was only able to turn that into one run in the top half of the inning, then Anacortes turned it into four in the bottom half to take control of the game.
“They earned it all the way,” Archbishop Murphy coach Stan Taloff said of the Seahawks. “They hit the ball hard, put it play. We asked our pitchers to throw strikes and mix it up a little bit. Our pitchers did that, but they still put the bat on the ball well today. A lot of the balls went where we couldn’t get to them, and that’s part of baseball.
“We always tell our guys there’s a big difference between losing a game and getting beat,” Taloff added. “I’d say we got beat today, and that’s nothing to hang your head about.”
Matt Irving pitched a complete-game four-hitter, and Eli Gallo went 3-for-3 to lead Anacortes (17-4), the tournament’s No. 3 seed. The Seahawks will face the District 4 No. 3 seed in the state regionals next Saturday at Joe Martin Field in Bellingham.
“I think the guys are peaking at the right time, and we played a good ballgame,” Anacortes coach Kevin Matthews said. “The experience we have, going to the final four last year and having most everyone back, these guys have been here before. I think we’re jelling at the right time.”
Austin Earl’s RBI single was the lone highlight for Archbishop Murphy (18-5), which was the tournament’s No. 4 seed. The Wildcats face the District 4 No. 2 seed next Saturday at Franklin Pierce High School in Tacoma.
The game was moved from its originally scheduled Saturday date to Friday to accommodate the funeral service for Archbishop Murphy student and athlete Kristi Bartz, who died in a train accident last weekend. The funeral service is Saturday, and moving the game allows members of the Wildcats team to attend.
Archbishop Murphy played most of the game without senior shortstop Sean Clancy. Clancy reached on a bunt single in the top of the first, but went down hard in a collision at first base. After several minutes Clancy, who took a blow to the head, remained in the game and scored the game’s first run. However, he was removed midway through the bottom of the first. He did, however, re-enter the game to bat in the top of the seventh.
“He seems to be fine,” Taloff said. “I think he was just a little shook up for a moment there. We’ll get him double-checked to make sure.”
The decisive moments of Friday’s game came right at the beginning. A single and a pair of errors put runners at the corners with one out for Archbishop Murphy in the top of the first. Earl then delivered a line-drive single to left that gave the Wildcats a 1-0 lead. Archbishop Murphy later loaded the bases, but Irving got a groundout to end the inning and prevent further damage.
In the bottom half of the inning the Seahawks converted in a way the Wildcats couldn’t. Three singles loaded the bases with one out. Ty Johnson rolled a single up the middle to bring home the tying run, then Irving hit a sharp grounder just past diving first baseman Cameron Nix to give Anacortes the lead. Finally, Mitch Davis hit a towering fly to the right-center fence for a two-run double, giving Anacortes a 4-1 lead.
That proved to be more than enough run support for Irving. The senior left-hander wasn’t overpowering — he finished the game with just two strikeouts. But Irving worked fast and induced quick outs. After his first-inning hiccup, Irving allowed just four base runners the rest of the way.
“I think he threw strikes and changed speeds,” Taloff said of Irving, the reigning Skagit Valley Herald Player of the Year. “And yet, of the 21 outs, 19 balls were put in play by us. We can’t ask for anything more. You don’t always get the eyeballs, we hit some balls pretty well that ended up going right at them. That’s part of the game. The score wasn’t really an indication of us playing badly, but give them credit, balls they hit went places where we couldn’t get it.”
The Seahawks scored the rest of their runs in the bottom of the second. An RBI single by Gallo and a sacrifice fly by Johnson gave Anacortes a 6-1 lead that was never threatened.
At Volunteer Field
A. Murphy 100 000 0 — 1 4 0
Anacortes 420 000 x — 6 11 2
Connor Sand, Houston Schmutz (4), Parker Sand (6) and Ernie Gamboa. Matt Irving and Ty Johnson. WP—Irving. LP—C. Sand. 2B—Mitch Davis (A), Jay Kiesser (A). Records—Anacortes 17-4, Archbishop Murphy 18-5.
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