GreyWolves Win 6-5, Stun Kelowna After Six-Run Ninth Inning
June 19, 2016 - West Coast League (WCL)
Gresham GreyWolves News Release
GRESHAM, Ore. - Little did the fans at Oslund Field know that when they showed up to the ballpark on Saturday, they would be in for a finish even wilder than Friday's walk-off steal of home plate.
Sure enough, however, they were treated to another crazy ending. Despite facing a seemingly insurmountable 5-0 deficit, the Gresham GreyWolves rallied for six runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to clinch a series win against the visiting Kelowna Falcons on Saturday night.
"We are a gritty team," said Michael Breen (San Jose State) after driving in the game's winning run. "That just shows our toughness and what we're all about here. We play hard through all nine innings."
While Gresham (5-6) was playing hard early, an inability to get clutch hits in the middle of the contest led to some frustration. Juniors Kyle Henderson, Ryan Rodriguez, and Mark Cardinalli all recorded extra-base hits with less than two outs in the third, fourth, and fifth innings, but the rest of the GreyWolves order was unable to bring the men across the plate.
On the other side of the diamond, Kelowna (6-7) was executing well offensively. The Rockets drew first blood with a pair of runs in the top half of the first inning, then extended their lead to 5-0 with three more in the fifth.
That five-run advantage stayed put all the way until the last of the ninth, when Gresham was finally able to find its bats. The first three hitters of the frame all reached safely via singles, and after Breen scored his team's first run on a wild pitch, pinch hitter Ty Wyatt (Willamette) cleared the bases with a ground-rule double that rolled all the way into the thick ivy along the left-field wall.
"A lot of people go in cold and try to be overly aggressive," Wyatt said when asked about his approach as a pinch-hitter. "I was just trying to focus in there and get the man behind me to the plate."
With the Kelowna starting pitcher now out of the game, a confident GreyWolves lineup continued to cut into the deficit. The fourth run of the night came around to score after Drew Curtis put a ball in play and forced a throwing error from third baseman Jace McKinney (Mt. Hood CC), and the game was tied soon thereafter thanks to a productive RBI groundout off the bat of Dixie State product Ryan Rodriguez.
"You have got to give credit to the kids," said head coach Justin Barchus following the win. "We strung some hits together and got their starter off the mound. I think it became contagious."
That brought Breen to the plate, who was looking to serve up his club's second two-out walk-off in as many nights. He did just that, hitting a sharp ball to Rockets shortstop Brad Antchak. The throw from across the field ended up pulling the first baseman slightly off the bag, giving Gresham an unbelievable 6-5 victory.
"I was just trying to put a ball hard in play to the left side (of the infield)," Breen said. "With my speed, I knew they would have to be fast to get me."
And was Breen definitely safe?
"Oh yeah. He definitely pulled his foot."
The late-game heroics locked up a series win for the GreyWolves, who now have the luxury of going for a sweep tomorrow night against Kelowna. First pitch from Oslund Field is set for 5:05 PM.
West Coast League Stories from June 19, 2016
- Sweets Pitching Staff Gives Walla Walla Game Three Win over Bells - Walla Walla Sweets
- HarbourCats Win 6-0 in Finale vs. Cowlitz, up to 11 Straight - Victoria HabourCats
- Falcons Blow a 5-0 Lead - Kelowna Falcons
- Bells Offense over Powers Sweets 8-1 - Bellingham Bells
- GreyWolves Win 6-5, Stun Kelowna After Six-Run Ninth Inning - Gresham GreyWolves
- Pippins lose 4-3 - Yakima Valley Pippins
- HarbourCats Set Franchise Win-Streak Mark in Nail-Biter - Victoria HabourCats
- Bells Build Early Lead, Hold on for Series Clinching Win - Walla Walla Sweets
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