The Archbishop Murphy baseball team didn’t do one thing great, but many things good enough on May 8.
Behind gutsy performances from starting pitcher Kevin Waldron and reliever Levi MaVorhis and just enough offensive production, the Wildcats defeated Lynden 6-3 in the first round of the 2A District No. 1 tournament.
On Saturday, Archbishop Murphy mounted its charge with the score tied 3-3 in the bottom of the sixth.
Third baseman Jon Varriano started with a basehit. Jacob Oster was hit by a pitch and then Oster and Varriano advanced on a passed ball. Jake Hines was intentionally walked to load the bases for the chance at a double play. But Kyle Peterson delivered a one-out, two-RBI double into the right center gap, giving Archbishop Murphy a 5-3 lead. MaVorhis hit a dribbler down the third base line that resulting in an error and run scored to make it 6-3.
“We had the top of our lineup and it has always produced,” Archbishop Murphy head coach Stan Taloff said. “We were just trying to stay within our game. Peterson again clutched up in a big moment for us.”
“I was just thinking we got more runs now, now I have to control this game,” MaVorhis said with the added cushion and confidence attained after Peterson’s big hit.
Waldron had trouble with his command from the start, hitting the first batter he faced and walking the third and fourth batters. He then had a chopper bounce off his glove allowing a Lynden run and keeping the bases loaded. Waldron walked Justin O’Flaherty to push across another run, giving Lynden a 2-0 lead.
The senior starter got an infield popup and flyout to center to get out of the jam.
Lynden starting pitcher Tyler Lingbloom looked to be on the rocks early on, giving up a leadoff single to Varriano, who moved to third on back-to-back wild pitches. Oster drove in Varianno on a fielders choice, cutting Murphy’s deficit to 2-1.
Varianno drove in Connor Huesers on a sacrifice fly to deep center to tie it 2-2 in the bottom of the third inning.
Waldron found himself in trouble again in the fourth inning with runners at first and third and one out. A slow roller to second base provided a double play that kept the Wildcats unscathed in the inning.
Archbishop Murphy’s Jake Hines homered over the left field fence in the bottom of the fourth, giving the Wildcats a 3-2 lead.
Sophomore Levi MaVorhis relieved Waldron, starting the same way Waldron did by hitting his first batter faced. But MaVorhis settled down, finding a rhythm by starting batters off with a fastball and moving to a changeup down and away.
It helped the playoff first-timer get out of a jam with two Lynden runners on after the Lions tied the score 3-3.
MaVorhis then found the zone, keeping the Lions scoreless in the final two innings.
Casey Donovan writes for the Herald in Everett.
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