Klenke and Smith Shine as GreyWolves Walk-Off on Walla Walla

July 5, 2016 - West Coast League (WCL)
Gresham GreyWolves News Release


GRESHAM, Ore. - There were fireworks both on and off the field Monday as the Gresham GreyWolves outlasted the Walla Walla Sweets in a 10-9 thriller on Fourth of July evening.

Gresham (11-15) overcame three separate two-run deficits before taking a four-run lead into the ninth inning on this festive night. Walla Walla (16-13) then tallied four runs in its half of the ninth to dampen everyone's spirits momentarily, but Southern Illinois product Ryan Smith made sure to change that feeling soon thereafter.

With one out and runners on first and second, Smith lined the fifth pitch he saw from reliever Justin Bruihl down the first base line. The ball leaped off the lip of the infield grass, propelling it into no man's land to allow pinch runner Jack Johnson to easily score the winning run from second.

"He (Bruihl) was pounding me away so once I got two strikes I was just looking for something over the plate," said Smith after his big hit. "The ball ended up being on the outside corner and it happened to fall right down the line."

Smith's walk-off set off a wild celebration on the infield dirt at Oslund Field, but no less than three hours earlier were things much calmer in Gresham.

The two teams actually appeared to be destined for a pitcher's duel earlier in the night as only one earned run was plated in the first four and a half innings. It was catcher Ben Klenke who broke up a no-hit bid by Sweets starter Chris Murphy (San Diego) in the bottom of the fifth, getting a one-out single before eventually scoring his team's first run of the night on a passed ball.

That run from the Nebraska product cut the GreyWolves deficit in half at 2-1, and his single was just the first of three hits that would eventually lead to a multiple-RBI night for the freshman backstop.

"I was just seeing pitches well and having fun," Klenke said when asked about his breakout performance. "I think relaxing and not trying to put too much pressure on myself in big situations is important."

The lead see-sawed back and forth for the remaining four innings, with Gresham always answering any of the runs put up by its visitors from Washington. The GreyWolves offense turned a 5-3 deficit into a 6-5 advantage after run-scoring singles by Klenke and designated hitter Will Matthiessen (Stanford) in the seventh, and another three-run explosion in the eighth pushed the lead to 9-5.

Spearheaded by a bases-clearing triple off the bat of leadoff man Jarren Duran, Walla Walla plated four in the top of the ninth to extend the second contest of this three-game series.

The game would not go much deeper, however, as the suddenly-potent Gresham attack quickly rallied. A pair of fielder's choices combined with a fielding error set the plate for Smith, who delivered with a rope down the first base line to break the hearts of the Sweets.

With 19 runs, multiple lead-changes, fireworks being set off throughout the game, and of course, a walk-off, the victory was a memorable one that both the players and fans won't soon forget.

"It was sweet having the fireworks going off all round you," said Klenke. "It was cool whenever we had a break on the bench to see them being set off in the distance."

Head coach Justin Barchus is hoping that the team can parlay some of the momentum from a fun win into some success in the near future. Tuesday's finale with Walla Walla marks the end of the first half of the season, meaning a fresh start for everyone as the standings reset for the final 27 games.

"I think the guys really enjoy each other," Barchus said after the game. "We obviously would have liked to win that one quietly after going up 9-5, but that showed a lot of character. I'm not lying when I say we have a chance to win the second half of the season. It will be nice to control our own destiny and I think we have the baseball team to do it."

Barchus' team will look to continue their winning ways as they go for a series win against the Sweets on Tuesday night. First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m. back at Oslund Field.



West Coast League Stories from July 5, 2016


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