Mac Baseball: Bears taking positives from blistering hot trip to Arizona

 March 23

McMinnville 9

Bear Creek (CO) 1

Two four-run innings and a masterful all-around performance from senior Tyler Brummitt led the Grizzlies last Monday as they toppled Colorado 5A Bear Creek at Casteel High School in Queen Creek, Arizona, during the Coach Bob National Invitational.

On the bump, Brummitt threw 102 pitches over six innings, surrendering just two hits and three walks while striking out eight. At the plate, Brummitt was also Mac’s most potent batter, going 3-for-5 with two RBI and a run scored.

The Grizzlies jumped ahead in the top of the second inning with three walks and two base hits. A Bear Creek error also helped the Grizzlies’ cause, and Brummitt began his reign of terror with a bases-loaded hit to center field for a 3-0 lead.

Cam Hyder grounded into a double play in the next turn at bat, but it was enough to score another run for a 4-0 lead.

In the fifth inning, Drew Bizon and Karson Vining led off with consecutive singles.

A Hayes Wrigly sacrifice bunt advanced them into scoring position, and a Bradley Woodward fly ball was then mishandled, allowing Bizon to score from third base with ease.

Mac was then stifled until the seventh, when a Brummitt triple and doubles from AJ Morrison and Grant Yochum extended an already comfortable lead to 9-0.

Wrigley closed out the game on the mound, allowing two hits and a run, but finding strikes and weak contact on the last two batters to end the festivities without further stress.

Yochum, Bizon and Vining all had two hits, while Aaron Rolfe, Morrison, Yochum and Woodward drove in the Grizzlies’ other four runs that weren’t via Brummitt’s bat or Bear Creek errors.

Woodward, a freshman shortstop, continued to be one of the team’s strongest bats. From the nine spot, he often flipped the lineup order and gave the top half chances to drive in runs. His professional approach and stellar defense were not totally expected from Head Coach Todd Peterson, but the Grizzlies’ manager was not all surprised, having seen Woodward’s growth from one summer to the next.

“He has high expectations for himself, he’s a great competitor and the thing that’s most impressive to me is he’s not scared of the moment,” Peterson said. “He’s willing to compete, and that’s not easy to do when you’re stepping into the fire of varsity baseball for the first time.”

As much as having a bat like Woodward’s is a luxury to have near the bottom of the lineup, continued success may see him move up a few spots to bolster the top half.

March 24

McMinnville 2

Heritage (CO) 4

Colorado 5A Heritage put a hurt on Grizzlies’ sophomore Zac Sabey, who surrendered five hits, four runs and five walks through 2 1/3 innings. Sabey did save himself with forced weak contact on a few occasions, but a three-run Heritage third inning was all the team needed to topple the Grizzlies.

Junior Sam Steele and senior Agustin Ponce-Lopez were able to shut down Heritage over the final 3 2/3, allowing just one hit apiece.

In the top of the third, prior to Heritage’s crooked number, Mac put its first run on the board thanks to a throwing error. Woodward worked his count to 2-1 before lacing a ball to left field, then scored on the Heritage mistake as a speedy Brummitt forced a rush attempt at a putout at first base.

Innings four, five and six were absent of action as both sides killed any attempt at a rally with quality pitching.

In the seventh, Woodward worked another strong at-bat, going full before driving the ball up the middle for a one-out base hit. Brummitt followed with a five-pitch walk, setting the table for Hyder to do damage.

Both runners advanced a base on a wild pitch, then Hyder struck the ball into the infield grass. It took a wild bounce, clanging off the shortstop’s glove and allowing Woodward to score from third base. Rolfe followed with a free pass to load the bases, but two straight hard-hit balls from Morrison and Yochum found leather to end the Grizzlies’ stint in the desert.

Overall, Peterson believed there was plenty of good to come from their trip, but poor baserunning and pitching outside of Brummitt stood out as sore thumbs that hope to be cured during non-league play.

With injuries sidelining what would be Mac’s top arms in the likes of Taylor Carnahan and Cam Hyder, spots need to be filled for high-leverage scenarios. Sabey, Ponce-Lopez and Rolfe have all proved worthy of eating innings, but further refining is required if the team is to have a staff strong enough to stay competitive through the year.

“It’s just a matter of who’s going to come in and throw strikes and that’s kinda what hurt us in the losses, were multiple free passes in big moments,” Peterson said. “Getting the guys more confident and comfortable on the mound will be important because those opportunities are going to continue to come, and guys are going to have to step in and perform.”

The Grizzlies went 2-2 overall at the Coach Bob National Invitational and return to Yamhill County with a 3-2 record on the season heading into their first home contest, Tuesday at Patton Middle School versus No. 12 Lakeridge (4-2).

First pitch is at 4:30 p.m. and will see Mac looking to exact revenge after falling to the Pacers 10-8 on April 1 of last season.