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closeVikings show perseverance against Jags
Battle for baseball bragging rights in Puyallup comes down to final at bat
Shaun Scott
A showdown between two of the most talented baseball squads in the SPSL South Division —Emerald Ridge and Puyallup—came down to the final at bat on April 9 at Heritage Park in Puyallup.
Emerald Ridge held a 3-0 lead after five innings of play but Puyallup (11-1 overall) stormed back scoring three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning and one run in the bottom of the seventh, defeating Emerald Ridge (8-4 overall record) 4-3 in one of the most exciting baseball contests of the spring thus far.
Emerald Ridge finally tied the game in the bottom of the sixth when Bret Bitow blasted a two-run single, tying the game at 3-3. In the bottom of the seventh, senior catcher Taylor Ausbun’s flare falling just beyond the infield found the greenness of the grass in shallow left center field, scoring sophomore Sal Arena from third base completing the 4-3 comeback win.
“We knew going into this game that Emerald Ridge was going to be tough,” Vikings coach Marc Wiese said. “We didn’t play well up until the sixth and seventh inning. We’re a team that never gives up. That’s something this year’s team and teams in the past have done. We always want to have a shot at the end of games to win.”
Emerald Ridge hurler Tim Peterson shut down Puyallup’s offensive attack for the first five innings of play. Wiese said his team benefitted when Emerald Ridge had to turn to their relief pitchers in the final two innings.
“We got Peterson into a high pitch count and forced him out of the game,” Wiese said. “That was a big deal and we capitalized on that.”
Despite seeing his team squander a three-run lead in the final two innings, Emerald Ridge Jaguars head coach Tim Spears said his team played its best game of the season thus far against one of the most prolific teams in the entire state.
“It was one of the best high school baseball games I’ve ever been a part of,” Spears said. “It had playoff intensity. I’m proud of my team. If we play like that the rest of the season, our team will be happy with the kind of results we will get. We can’t play much better than we did. We only had one error and executed beautifully offensively. I think Puyallup is ranked No. 4 in the entire state. I couldn’t be prouder of my guys. I thought our kids rose to the occasion. We left it all on the field.”
Emerald Ridge scored three runs in the first four innings building a 3-0 lead which lasted until the sixth.
“We got off to a good start,” Spears said. “We were fired up and pretty determined but like Puyallup teams always do, they have the ability to come back. They were able to muster up a rally in the sixth and seventh. If we would have won this game, we would have been tied for first place in the league. So that’s why it’s kind of a hard pill to swallow.”
Spears thinks competing in high pressure games like the contest on April 9 will pay off for both teams in the immediate future.
“This game had a playoff like atmosphere. Things were chippy on both sides,” Spears said. “I think Marc would agree this is the kind of game that will help both teams down the road.”