SHORELINE
Danny Oh won the battle and the game.
The Jackson senior and University of California recruit hit a solo home run to the opposite field in the top of the seventh inning to break a 4-4 tie as the Timberwolves went on to win 6-4 April 5 at Shorecrest High School.
The left-handed Oh hit a 2-2 breaking pitch off Shorecrest lefty James Robbins that started inside and caught some of the plate, his first hit of the day after grounding out to second twice and drawing a walk.
“I was looking for it and he gave it to me and hung it,” Oh said.
“It’s the first close game we’ve really had,” Jackson catcher Bryan Morse said. “It shows the character of our team right here, it’s the first test. Luckily we came out on top this time.”
The game was made up in its entirety per Western Conference rules after it was called Friday afternoon with Jackson leading 1-0 in the top of the third.
Friday’s starters, sophomore Alex Cain for Shorecrest and freshman Nick Kiel for Jackson pitched two innings and each gave up two runs on Saturday. Robbins hit a curveball for a two-run home run in the first inning while Jackson tied it in the second on a two-run single by Morse.
Morse said Kiel pitched really well on Friday, but the rainout set him back.
“All his movement, his velocity was down we just had to bear down and go with the depth,” said Morse. “And luckily guys threw strikes and played defense, and we got outs.”
Senior Chris McGee came on in relief and threw two-plus innings and gave up two earned runs. After McGee walked two batters to start the fifth, Oh came in and finished the inning but gave up a bases loaded walk to Willie Davies and single to Peter Olson that tied the game.
Oh, who said he didn’t expect to pitch in the game, found a groove in the sixth and seventh, retiring six of the seven batters he faced, and got the win.
My mindset is just to throw strikes, let them hit the ball. Let my defense make some plays,” Oh said.
Robbins, the Scots’ ace, came on in the sixth, relieving Peter Olson who pitched the middle three innings.
Oh said Jackson hadn’t faced many pitchers as good as Robbins this year.
“It’s more of a challenge and challenges are fun,” he said.
Especially when you win the challenge.
“We’d shut him down up to that point but a good hitter like that is finally going find his chance. He was due,” Shorecrest coach Alan Bruns said. “I’d say it was pretty good pitch but he drove it the other way just like James’ home run early in the game. Hitters like that can hit to all fields and that’s what Danny did.”
Jackson added an insurance run in the seventh when freshman Isaac Kim blooped a single into center field scoring Mike Wishko. Kim went 2-for-2 as did Trevor Malo, who he replaced in right field and in the six-hole.
Jackson capitalized on some Shorecrest miscues and took a 4-2 lead in the fourth. Malo led off with a single and Kim, the pinch runner, moved to second on a wild pitch by Olson. Morse reached on a bunt base hit after Olson fielded the ball but hesitated to throw because second baseman Ian Benbrooks was late covering first. Morse then stole second and the throw, which was supposed to be cut off, got away, allowing Kim to score the go-ahead run. Morse moved to third on another wild pitch and Kennedy Kinkade drove him in on a sacrifice fly to right.
Using Robbins, who is scheduled to start against Meadowdale, Wednesday, April 9, was part of Shorecrest’s game plan.
“I told him if he were tied or ahead he’d throw the sixth and seventh,” Bruns said. “I especially like bringing him in after Peter to kind of shake up the pacing there. Peter kept them off balance with some off speed and slow stuff, then James came in throwing hard.”
Shorecrest only had four hits in the game but drew eight walks and left seven runners on base. The Scots had a runner in scoring position with one out in the bottom of the sixth after Travis Hake led off with a walk and moved to second on Benbrooks sacrifice bunt. Oh got leadoff hitter Josh Leupold to ground to third and coaxed a grounder to first from Chad Morrison to end the inning.
“We’re struggling to find timely hitting game in and game out,” Bruns said. “We saw some last Saturday against Shorewood with Stefan (Orallo’s) home run but more often than not we’re not coming through that sac fly or base hit when we have those runners in scoring position. That puts pressure on the defense and puts pressure on the pitchers when we can’t come through in the clutch.
“And we were there, that was a winnable game against a good team, so that’s what’s disappointing that we didn’t seize the moment there and take that team,” he said.
Shorecrest expects to have two of its starting outfielders Orallo and Anthony Jochim back for that game. Orallo missed the first Jackson game because of a family obligation and Jochim has been in Hawaii with his family.
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