The BHHS Bruin varsity baseball team had their regular season ended very unceremoniously late last week when the Sutherlin Bulldogs cancelled the final two games of the 2021 season, leaving head coach Keith Wallin and his 2021 varsity Bruin baseball team undefeated, with a 12-0 perfect record.
This positioned the Bruins in the post season tournament, traveling Tuesday to North Bend to take on the 12-3 Scio Loggers, who traveled from Scio (east of Albany) to North Bend to match-up with the Bruins at a neutral site.
With both teams coming into the contest with stellar records, on paper, a close game with minimal mistakes was on the menu, and the young athletes did not disappoint.
The Bruins were the home team, and coach Wallin handed the ball to senior Adam Shew and sent him to the mound to preserve a perfect season, and send the Bruins on in the post-season. But the Loggers didn’t get to this game without an offense and worked their lead-off batter on base, putting a runner in scoring position before Shew would get out of the first.
The Bruins didn’t get to this game with out an offense either, and repaid the Loggers in full in their half of the first. Senior lead-off hitter #1 Payton Armentrout worked his way on drawing a walk, stole second and then advanced himself to third on a passed ball. Senior catcher, #20 Jacub McCollum took a two out 1-0 pitch and sent a double to left scoring Armentrout.
The Loggers came to the plate in the top of the second looking to extend at bats, to see pitches from the Bruin right-hander, but Shew sat them down in order on a pop-up and infield grounders to the right side.
In the bottom of the second, a Logger error on an outfield fly ball would put sophomore #5 Kyle Burger on with no outs, and all those long days of coach Wallin forcing team basics paid off, as Christensen laid down a sacrifice bunt in the next at bat advancing Burger to scoring position with 1 out. A two out shot to third would result in the second Logger defensive error of the game and the inning, resulting in Kyle Burger scoring and giving the Bruins 2-0 lead going into the 3rd.
Now trailing 0-2, a determined Logger offense stared down Shew on the mound, who struck-out the Logger 3rd inning lead-off batter and then walked the second batter putting a Scio runner on the basepaths. The Loggers then put two hits together off of Shew, scoring one before Shew shut down the side.
Both teams would play high pressure error free ball for the next two innings with both teams working players to basepaths, and both pitchers shutting down any offense.
Leading 2-1, Coach Wallin then put a fresh arm on the mound in the top of the 6th, bringing senior Andrew Burger #29 to the hill. Burger then sent the Logger batters back to the bench in order in the top of the 6th, on two grounders and a pop-out. Wallin sent Burger back to mound in the final frame, and Burger struck out the first two batters swinging and then got the final out on a grounder back to the pitcher to end the game.
Jacub McCollum went 2 for 3 with two doubles and an RBI, as the Bruin defense played another 7 innings of error free baseball. Senior Adam Shew #13 threw 5 complete innings for the Bruins, striking out 7 before senior Andrew Burger #29 would come in and record the save pitching the 6th and 7th, retiring the final six Logger batters in order.
The Bruins advance to the next round and will travel to Santiam Christian High School just north of Corvalis, to take on an 11-2 Eagle team from Joseph Oregon who are coming off a 9-8 play-off win against a 12-1 Warrenton team Tuesday.
