A8 BAKER CITY HERALD • TUESDAY, APRIL 26, 2022
SPORTS
BAKER BASEBALL NIPS PHILOMATH IN NONLEAGUE GAME
Bulldogs win on Carter’s walkoff homer
BY JAYSON JACOBY
jjacoby@bakercityherald.com
Silas Carter first preserved
Baker’s chance to beat Philo-
math in the final inning of a
nonleague baseball game Sat-
urday, April 23, at La Grande.
Then he took advantage of
that chance.
After getting a strikeout as a
relief pitcher in the top of the
seventh to hold the Warriors’
lead at 1-0, Carter hit a two-
run, inside-the-park walkoff
home run in the bottom of the
inning to give the Bulldogs a
thrilling 2-1 win.
Carter’s dramatic shot to
deep right center field, with
two strikes, also earned him
the win on the mound.
But it was his teammate,
Hudson Spike, who domi-
nated Philomath’s lineup for
most of the game in a classic
pitchers’ duel with the War-
riors’ Skylar Brolin.
Spike allowed just five hits
and struck out nine in 6.2 in-
nings before yielding to Carter,
normally a starting pitcher, in
the top of the seventh.
“Hudson just pitched an
outstanding game,” Baker
coach Tim Smith said. “He
had the best outing that I’ve
seen him have.”
The sophomore lefthander
hasn’t pitched much this sea-
son, and Smith said he initially
intended to limit Spike to 50
pitches.
“But he said his arm felt
good and it kept feeling good,”
Smith said.
Spike ended up throwing
99 total pitches, 60 of them
strikes.
In the top of the seventh,
Philomath’s Logan Carter dou-
bled with two outs and Cam-
eron Ordway followed with a
walk.
Silas Carter then replaced
Spike. Carter hit the first batter
he faced, Carson Gerding, to
load the bases.
But Carter then struck out
David Griffith the keep the
lead at 1-0.
Smith admitted that he con-
sidered replacing Carter after
he hit the batter, but he ulti-
mately decided to leave him in,
and it paid off.
Philomath 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 — 1
Baker
0 0 0 0 0 0 2 — 2
Brolin and Carter. Spike,
Carter (7) and Logsdon.
running as fast as he could.
When he hit the ball he
heard Smith yell “get out,
ball,” and he thought he had
a chance for a conventional
home run.
As he was rounding second
base, Carter saw Smith initially
motioning for him to hold up
at third base.
Carter said that’s what he ex-
pected. The last he had seen,
while rounding second, the
throw from the outfield was on
its way to the second baseman.
But once he was sprinting
between second and third, the
play was happening behind
him. Carter didn’t see Griffith
briefly mishandle the throw
from the outfield.
“I was surprised (Smith) was
sending me (to home plate),”
Carter said.
As he ran the final 90 feet
he saw the Philomath catcher
— the other Carter, Logan —
move slightly, as though he
were getting ready for the relay
throw to arrive.
Silas Carter said he decided
to slide, hoping he could evade
a potential tag.
It turned out that wasn’t nec-
Jayson Jacoby/Baker City Herald essary, as he touched the plate
Silas Carter bats against La Grande on Wednesday, April 20, 2022, at the Sports Complex. Carter was the
before the ball got there.
“I popped up and Logan
winning pitcher and also hit a walkoff inside-the-park home run in Baker’s 2-1 win over Philomath on Sat-
(Capon, who had scored
urday, April 23, 2022.
the tying run) was freaking
out,” Carter said. “It was a
Carter said it was “very
fielder Alek Russell made a div- pitches,” he said.
Not this one.
great feeling.”
stressful” to enter the game
ing catch.
Carter drove a high fly ball
Smith said he hopes the
with two runners on base and
“Jaxon got robbed,” Smith
that went nearly to the wall in Bulldogs have gained confi-
Baker trying to prevent Philo- said. “He hit a laser.”
right center. Capon scored eas- dence with a win over Philo-
math from extending its lead,
Baker’s next batter, Logan
ily, and Smith, as the third base math, a team he expects will
although in previous seasons
Capon, was hit in the back of
coach, said that as the right-
contend for its own confer-
he normally pitched in relief
the helmet by a pitch.
ence title and will make the
rather than as a starter.
That brought up Silas Carter. fielder threw the ball to Grif-
Carter, who’s a senior, said
He had been playing short- fith, the second baseman, for a Class 4A playoffs.
“That’s the best team we’ve
that after hitting Griffith to
stop but had not yet had an at relay, Griffith briefly bobbled
beaten this year,” Smith said
load the bases, he was “defi-
bat, with Thomas Smithson as the ball.
Smith said he waved Carter of the Warriors. “We played
nitely thinking I wanted to get designated hitter.
as good of a game as we have
a strikeout” for the final out.
Smith said he decided to give around third, and he crossed
the plate with the winning run all year.”
In the bottom of the seventh, Carter a chance. With an 0-2
a couple seconds ahead of Grif-
Philomath took its 1-0 lead
with Philomath still clinging to count, Brolin threw a curve-
in the top of the sixth, scoring
a 1-0 lead, Jaxon Logsdon led
ball. Smith said Carter tends to fith’s throw.
“It paid off,” Smith said. “It
on an error on a pickoff at-
off by lining the ball to the gap struggle with curveballs.
was exciting.”
Carter agrees.
tempt at second base. Baker, af-
in left center for what looked
Carter, meanwhile, was just ter six errors in its previous two
“I hate hitting slower
like an extra base hit. But left-
games, had just two miscues
against Philomath.
The Warriors had runners
on first and second with two
outs, but Spike ended the threat
when Ty May grounded out to
second baseman Cole Hester.
Brolin took the loss despite
allowing just four hits — two
by Hester — striking out eight
and walking only one.
Baker had one of its best
scoring chances in the first in-
ning, when Hayden Younger
led off with a double to center.
He stole third with two outs
but was stranded there.
Philomath turned double
plays in both the second and
third to thwart Baker scor-
ing bids.
The Bulldogs also relied on
defense to keep the Warriors
at bay.
In the top of the fifth, with
Blake Niemann at first base
with one out, Spike struck out
Logan Carter and Logsdon
threw out Niemann at second
to end the threat.
Philomath traveled to La
Grande to play single games
against La Grande and, later,
against Baker.
La Grande beat the Warriors
5-0 in the first game.
After another nonleague
game on Monday, April 25,
against Heppner/Ione at the
Sports Complex, Baker returns
to Greater Oregon League play
on Friday, April 29, by playing
host to Mac-Hi in a double-
header. The first pitch is set for
2 p.m. Baker, 9-8 overall and
4-2 in league play, swept the
Pioneers at Milton-Freewater
on April 6.
Smith said he hopes the
dramatic win over Philomath
will propel Baker to a win-
ning streak after disappointing
losses, by scores of 10-0 and 16-
0, to La Grande on April 20.
Spike’s dominant perfor-
mance on the mound was a
welcome development, Smith
said. Having another reliable
pitcher to join Capon, Carter
and Connor Chastain would be
a major benefit for the Bulldogs
— particularly given that Spike,
unlike that trio, is a leftie,
which are relatively rare in high
school baseball, Smith said.
Then
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