Senior Finn Leach up at bat in game against Highline playing at T-Mobile park in their annual ball park game.
As home team courtesy, Shorewood’s Stormrays set bases and raked the mound at Meridian Park ballfields Saturday, April 26. But even with a clear blue sky, their servitude and pre-game labor for their guests only served as a grey foreshadowing of their fateful loss–and a roaring win from Raider baseball.
“We go into every game with the mindset we are going to win,” Junior pitcher Jack Dire said, “but given our record, we were the underdogs.”
Tension rose as runs ping-ponged between the dugouts – both teams on the edge of victory with every mid-inning switch.
At the bottom of the ninth, the score board read six to six with Sale on the mound: three balls, one strike, and two outs. The then current Stormray record of twelve wins and four losses compared to Hale’s nine and nine did not statistically swing in our favor, but mentality didn’t let numbers dictate outcome.
Boosted bass from Money Trees faded into the national anthem, shifting the attitude spanned from the bleachers all the way to center field away from the hotdog stand, dialing in on home plate.
Our batting line up did not endure far through top of the first: Sale was first at bat, striking out on a swing, followed by Leach’s hit, out on a catch, and Gonzalez getting beat to first.
Though not too sharp of a start, Dire hops on the
mound, eye-black bleeding down his face. Shorewood’s #13 is at bat, making contact the ball, hitting it straight back to the mound, where Dire pulls a shifty maneuver and shoots it to first, sending #13 right back to Shorewood’s dugout.
Whining cheers spouted from Shorewood shortly after #7 hit deep into the far left field – leading to a home run on their end.
But our defense was nothing short of persistent and didn’t break after an unfruitful top, staying dialed in and shutting down an especially sneaky attempt to steal third base.
Followed by a strike out, Earlywine catches an impressive pop-fly far into left field, bringing the first inning to a close.
Bottom of the third, both offensive and defensive aggression was clear, but deciphering who wanted it more was murky.
Stormrays were ambitious to move their players up, creeping off the bases anytime the ball was on the mound.
But Dire was able to shut them down easy with the aid of the inner fieldmen.
Two outs, two men on bases, and a score of zero to one, the direction of the game was especially unclear.
Steal attempts only continued to rise, but the effort of sneakiness depleted with each pitch. Stormrays were desperate to move their man from third to home plate.
With a fumble at home, #18 made his move from first to second, trapping himself in a pickle.
Struggling to make the switch backs quick enough, he made his full step forward to second where Sale was able to chase him down.
But with all energy at second, the runner on third was able to slip through the cracks, making his way home.
Though it cost a run, fleeing a man off the base for a point was a quick-witted move that helped shut down the inning.
In the batting box, Hale began to gain on Shorewood top of the fourth.
Junior Julian Gonzalez cracked it open, hitting a single into right field and landing on first, which Jennings followed up with a hit to center field that sent Gonzalez home.
Shorewood huddled to chat before continuing on, as the loaded bases were a little too close for comfort on their end.
But unfortunately for them, their pleading seemed to go unanswered with both Freshman Sean Lamoine and Senior Andrew Goodman making their way home, breaking the tie and bringing the Raiders up by two points.
Sale was now standing on the mound, face to face with Shorewood #3, who almost instantaneously swung out–a not so patriotic or honorable ode to the American flag stuck on the back of his helmet
At short stop, Gonzalez was able to shut down the inning with an exceptionally agile leap, snatching a high ball flying between second and third base.
During the top of the seventh after an RBI from Malloch that sent Gonzalez home, the score crept up to a tie. Drohan, sent in to pinch run, attempted to break it with a slide to home, but ultimately got tagged out, ending that half.
On defense, the outfield did an especially good job protecting their chance of a win, shutting down any potential runs from Shorewood’s hits deep into the outfield under the seventh.
But even though they were able to maintain the tie–buying an extra opportunity to bring it back–they had only won the battle, not the war.
Both dugouts and the stands in the eighth inning only served as a stall, but during the top of the ninth, Raiders began to break it open.
Once Jennings was at bat, Gonzalez was creeping off first, ready to make a move.
And a move he made, going full send for a steal and sliding onto second, ultimately getting sent all the way home by Junior Eliot Jennings – as he had been in the fourth inning as well.
Replacing Jennings on third base was Junior Tai Miwa.
Before a pop-fly was caught in midfield off of Goodman’s bat, Miwa managed to make it home with a slide – just in time to raise the score to eight and six before they switched to defense.
Sale stood on the mound once again, determined to make it his last time for the evening.
The start was strong, striking out the first batter up, “Untouchable, PJ!” Senior right-fieldman Olen Baumfield shouted from right-field.
And the momentum didn’t dull, with Baumfield catching a pop fly shortly after, sitting the Raiders at two outs.
Landing the win was so close yet so far. Though they were on the edge of seeking victory, one slip ball made way for first and second base to be loaded.
They were one out from evening their record, but also only one slamming hit away from yet another inning – or even a loss.
But that was not on their agenda, nor in their fate. In a snap the scoreboard Storming the mound.
They were able to even their record to be 9-9-1, setting up their prosperous metro and district championships.
Winning an overtime game hadn’t been a feat they’d conquered until this point, making the dub just that much sweeter.
“It felt great to pull off an extra inning game,” Sale said.