By Jeremy McDonald
Jeremymcdonald73@gmail.com
SALEM, Ore.– Oh what a difference a day could make.
On Tuesday to open their Central Valley Conference game with South Salem, the Sprague baseball team struggled to find the zone and play clean baseball. The Olympians walked eight batters and committed three errors that set the Saxons up perfectly in what would become an 11-0 victory in five innings for South over at Sprague High School.
And 24 hours later. Across town at Gilmore City Park. Sprague came in focused defensively and it was a whole different ballgame.
Jaxson Redel, who got the starting nod for the Olympians executed. Going six innings the senior led Sprague to battle. Twice he faced bases loaded jams with one out. Both times, in the third inning and again in the fifth, Redel pitched to contact to see his defense end the threat without giving up a run. The third inning saw back-to-back fly balls while the fifth saw a double play to end the inning.
They quieted the noise on this day as their offense was able to slowly get the lead, and add to it, in what would become a 4-0 victory for the Olys to even up the CVC series. Of note, Sprague snapped South Salem’s CVC winning streak, which was at 22-straight wins entering the game until Wednesday.
“It was a struggle. We knew we had to step up to the dish and we did. My defense was great behind me, we made our throws and we played against us today and we won,” said Redel. “Coach said that we needed to play us and the first game of the series we played us and lost. Today we won that battle against ourselves and we conquered.
“We got to take this momentum into the next game. We’re at home, we have the advantage. I know we got a good pitcher in Camden VanKempen going Friday. We’re going to step up like we did today.”
VanKempen came in for relief in the seventh inning, facing the top of the Saxon lineup, he shut the door on the victory in 13 pitches.
For the Saxons, who matched Sprague’s eight hits and had two in that final half-inning, couldn’t piece it together when they needed to the most to take the series at home.
“It was just situational hitting, timely hitting. We didn’t get hits when we had runners on and they did. That was the difference in it,” said South Salem Head Coach Max Price. “Jaxson Redel was fantastic today, especially in both those (bases loaded) situations, (Sprague Head Coach Luke) Buccheit stuck with him. It shows how much he trusts him and he did a phenomenal job getting the job done and that’s what it is: You have to get the job done when you have the situation in front of you.”
The Sprague-South Salem CVC Series wraps up Friday at Sprague High School. First pitch is at 5pm.
Photos By Jeremy McDonald
