Now two games into 2023 post-season play, a season of executing a system and ‘doing a job’ has prepared the Bruin varsity baseball team to believe in their ability to compete in both close games as well as playing with a lead through unselfish play within a gameplan and a system.
In their second game of the post-season, the #4 ranked Bruins earned a Friday afternoon second round homegame hosting the #12 Pleasant Hill Billies, coming off a huge win against the #5 Yamhill-Carlton Tigers after handing the Tiger’s a 2-5 loss to advance to the quarterfinals against the Bruins.
With the #5 Tigers out of their way, a confident Pleasant Hill team stepped off the bus Friday afternoon in Brookings with the #4 Bruins squarely in their sights, and walked onto Bruin field like they owned it.
Coach Walling sent senior right-hander, #5, Kyle Burger to the mound for the Bruins, and the brash Billies came out swinging, getting their first lead-off batter on the bases with a lead-off double to left-center, and then worked that runner across the plate with a sacrifice fly and single to take a 0-1 lead. Sophomore right-hander Alejandro Ziolkowski was on the hill for Pleasant Hill, striking out the Bruin lead-off before retiring the Bruins in order in the bottom of the first.
Pleasant Hill jumped on Burger pitching again in the second before junior third baseman, #23, Evan Orman, started a third to first double-play, ending a significant Billie threat and sending a fired up Bruin team to the plate. The Bruins sent seven batters to the plate in the bottom of the second, starting with a Spencer Rosenberg, #28, stand up double followed by a #22, Ethan Orman stand up double, scoring the Bruins first run to tie the game. A sacrifice bunt by senior Kallen Christensen, #12, and a passed ball would be responsible for two more Bruin runs in the inning, sending the Bruins into the third leading 3-1.
Now with the lead, Burger settled in for the Bruins, striking out two of the four Pleasant Hill batters he faced in the top of the third, holding them scoreless with the Bruins coming to the plate, but the middle of the Bruin line-up would fail to capitalize.
Even though Burger would strike-out two in top of the fourth, Pleasant Hill would work a runner across the plate making the score 3-2 Bruins before a fly ball to center would be caught and the throw to the plate cut-off catching the runner at second off base in a dramatic double play to end the first half of the fourth, again sending a fired up Bruin team to the plate. Again the Bruins would get a man in scoring position after a Kallen Christensen stand-up double before scoring on a #11, Diego Turner sacrifice fly to left field.
Burger would then retire the Billies in order in the fifth, striking out one. The Bruin bats were not done fifth, sending six batters to the plate in the inning as senior Seth Valliere, #15, lead-off with yet another double, scoring on a #22, Ethan Orman shot to deep right field. Orman would also score on a senior Kallen Christensen double, extending the Bruin lead to 7-2 going into the sixth.
The Pleasant Hill bats would go silent in the top of the sixth as Burger sat them down in order, striking out two. The Bruins would add insult to injury in the bottom of the sixth, loading the bases and forcing the Billies to walk in the final run of the game, making the score 8-2 before the Bruin defense shut down Pleasant Hill’s last chance in the seventh to take the 8-2 win and advance to the next round.
“We are so proud of this team. The unselfishness is beyond belief and everyone just wants a common goal. Special thanks to everyone that came out this week to support us, the place was electric and it means so much to our program!” head coach Keith Wallin told the Compass after the game.
With now only four top ranked teams left in post-season, #1 will host #4 in semi-final play Tuesday afternoon. The #4 Bruins will travel to Medford’s U.S Cellular Field Tuesday to take on the #1 Cascade Christian Challengers at 5:00pm.
