CENTRALIA — The Wilder Seniors had a wild 13-12 win over the Twin Cities Titans on Monday at the American Legion AAA State Touranment, rallying from a disastrous top of the seventh inning to avoid what would have been a gut-wrenching loss.
Wilder (29-8) went into the seventh inning with a seemingly safe 10-4 lead, but the Titans erupted for eight runs in the top of the seventh to take a 12-10 lead into the bottom of the inning.
Instead of collapsing in what would have been Wilder’s final game of the year, the local boys rallied with three runs in the bottom of the seventh to win it.
Bo Bradow had the game-winning hit in the bottom of the seventh, driving in Joel Wood and Carson Jackson with a bases-loaded single.
Gavin Guerrero also drove in a run in that wild seventh inning, scoring Hayden Woods with a single.
Jackson and Wood also had singles in the seventh inning, while Woods got on base on an error.
In the top of the inning, the Wilder pitchers simply couldn’t stop the bleeding as the Titans got a solo home run from Jackson Ziobro (his second of the game), hit four singles and a double and had two other runners get on base on errors. Two other batters got on base on a walk and a hit batsman. The Titans scored four of those runs with two outs.
Bradow finished the game 3 for 5 with a double, two runs scored and four RBIs, while Guerrero was 3 for 5 with a run and an RBI. Brody Merritt was 2 for 2 with two runs scored, a double and three RBIs. Milo Whitman, Woods and Wood all had two hits.
Starter Merritt actually had a good game on the mound, going six innings and giving up four earned runs on nine hits, while striking out seven and walking two.
Errors hurt Wilder as only six of the Titans’ runs were earned.
Wilder gets to take a deep breath and play again at eighter 4 p.m. or 7 p.m. today against Lakeside Recovery.
Sunday roundup
In other state tournament games, Wilder Junior dug out of 5-2 hole with two runs in the fifth and two in the sixth to pull out a come-from-behind 6-5 victory over Pullman to win its second-round game of the AA American Legion State Tournament Sunday night.
Wilder Junior (17-11 overall) played a familiar foe, the Burlington Sox in a third-round game Monday night, after press deadline. You can go to www.peninsuladailynews.com to get results of that game.
Meanwhile, both Wilder Senior and the Olympic Crosscutters lost their AAA and A American Legion State Tournament games on Sunday.
Wilder Senior lost to the Vancouver Mavericks 11-6 on Sunday at the AAA tournament in Centralia, while the Crosscutters lost 6-4 to the Eastmont Rattlers at the A tournament in Seattle.
Wilder Senior’s game was close in the fourth, as the Seniors were tied 3-3 with the Mavericks. But, Vancouver scored two runs in the fourth, three in the fifth and another run in the sixth to open up a 9-3 lead. Wilder Senior rallied with three runs in the sixth and seventh innings, but it was not enough to catch up.
The Crosscutters likewise fell behind early, getting in a 5-0 hole after four innings. The Crosscutters rallied with two runs in the fifth and two in the seventh and had two runners on base, with the tying run on second base with two outs in the seventh, but a grounder ended the threat.
Wilder Junior
Wilder Junior got big games from Timmy Adams and Lucas Jarnigan as usual. Adams was 3 for 4 with two runs scored, while Jarnigan was 2 for 4 with four RBIs. Jarnigan drove in Wyatt Hall and Adams with the tying and go-ahead runs with a clutch single in the sixth inning. In the two-run fifth inning, Jarnigan was again in the middle of the rally, with an RBI single. Jacob Felton also had an RBI single in the fifth.
“[Adams] and [Jarnigan] just don’t stop. They’re a well-oiled machine. They’re locked,” said coach Zac Moore.
Hall also had a big game, going 1 for 1 with a double, three walks and three runs scored.
“Wyatt was on base all day long,” said Moore. Adam Watkins also had a double .
On the mound, a quartet of Wilder Jr. pitchers shut down Pullman after starter Adams gave up five runs in 5 1/3 innings. Coach Zac Moore said Carson Ness, one of the Forks players on Wilder Jr., had a clutch performance, getting out of the fourth inning with the bases loaded.
“Carson just closed the door,” he said.
Ness, Michael Grubb, Kamron Noard and Kamron Meadows pitched the final 3 2/3 innings, giving up just one hit, three walks and no runs as the Junior batters clawed their way back into the game.
“We just said, ‘whoever is next’,” after getting down 5-2, said Moore. “[Meadows] closed the game out. We did a great job of shutting them down.
“We kind of settled down [after the slow start] and started hitting the ball,” said Moore. “It was good to see.”
Crosscutters win
The Crosscutters beat the Lynden Christian Lyncs on Monday 7-5 behind an outstanding pitching performance from Joey Hildabrandt.
Hildabrandt went five innings and gave up no runs on three hits, while striking out nine and walking two. Hayden Eaton also pitched 1 2/3 innings, giving up no runs and no hits, while striking out four.
Logan Olson was the hitting star, going 3 for 3 with a double, three runs scored and two RBIs. Silas Thomas was 2 for 3 with a double, a run scored and three RBIs, while Hildabrandt helped his own cause with a hit and an RBI.
The Crosscutters next play today at 3 p.m. today against either Eastmont or West Valley.
On Sunday, the Crosscutters were blanked over the first four innings of their loss as the Rattlers built up a five-run lead.
“The kids had a hard time handling the emotions,” said Crosscutters coach John Qualls. “They were getting frustrated with hitting the ball right at guys.
“We just fell a little short defensively and in key moments,” Qualls said.
Qualls said Logan Powers “pitched incredibly well” in the loss. Powers went five innings and gave up six runs with a pair of strikeouts.
Brandon Barnett had a big game for the Crosscutters, going 3 for 4 with a critical RBI in the seventh inning. Thomas was 1 for 4 with two RBIs, including an RBI in the seventh during the Crosscutters’ last gasp rally, while Connor Bear had a hit and scored two runs. Hildabrandt also had an RBI with a bases-loaded walk.
Wilder 13, TC Titans 12
Titans 3 0 0 0 1 0 8 — 12 14 5
Wilder 0 3 4 0 0 3 3 — 13 17 3
WP: Bowen LP: Robertson
Pitching
Titans — Berry 2IP, 7H, 3ER, K; 3IP, 4H, ER, BB; Robertson 1.1IP, 6H, 2ER, K, BB.
Wilder — Merritt 6IP, 9H, 4ER, 7K, 2BB; Seibel 0IP, H, 3ER, BB; Bradow 0.2IP, 4H, 5R, BB; Bowen 0.1IP, 0H, 0ER.
Hitting
Titans — Sullins 3-3, 2R, RBI; Siobro 2-3, 2HR, 4R, 2RBI, 2BB; Chase 2-3, RBI; Corrigan 2-5, 2R, 2RBI.
Wilder — Bradow 3-5, 2B, 2R, 4RBI; Guerrero 3-5. R, RBI; Woods 2-4, R, RBI; Wood 2-4, 2R, SF, RBI; Merritt 2-2, 2B, 2R, 3RBI; 2BB; Jackson 1-5, 2R; Bowen 1-3, R, 2RBI, SB.
Crosscutters 7, Lyncs 5
Lyncs 0 0 5 0 0 0 0 — 5 6 1
Cutters 2 4 0 0 1 0 x — 7 6 2
WP: Hildabrandt LP: Sipma
Pitching
Lyncs — Sipma 6IP, 6H, 7ER, 8K, 2BB.
Crosscutters — Hildabrandt 5IP, 3H, 9K; Bear 0.1IP, 3H, 5ER, K, 3BB; Eaton 1.2IP, 0H, 0ER, 4K, 3BB.
Hitting
Lyncs — Bootsma 1-4, 2RBI; Mark 1-2, R, RBI, 2BB; Terpstra 1-3, R, RBI.
Crosscutters — Olson 3-3, 2B, 3R, 2RBI; Thomas 2-3, 2B, R, 3RBI, Hildabrandt 1-3, RBI.
Wilder Jr. 6, Pullman 5
Pullman 1 2 1 1 0 0 0 — 5 6 4
WJr. 0 1 1 0 2 2 x — 6 8 0
WP: Noard LP: Bickelhaupt
Pitching
Pullman — Kinkade 3IP, 3H, ER, BB; Bicklehaupt 2.2IP, 5H, 4ER, 4K, 2BB; Isakson 0.1IP.
Wilder Jr. — Adams 3.1IP, 5H, 5ER, 6BB; Ness 1.1IP, 0H, 0ER, 2K, BB; Grubb 0.1IP, BB; Noard 1IP, BB; Meadows 1IP, H.
Hitting
Pullman — Horner 1-3, 2R, 2RBI; Lees 2-3, R, RBI; Carpenter 0-2, R, 2RBI.
Wilder Jr. — Adams 3-4, 2R; Jarnigan 2-4, 4RBI; Hall 1-3, 2B, 3R, 3BB; Watkins 1-2, 2B; Felton 1-4, RBI.
Eastmont 6, Crosscutters 4
Cutters 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 — 4 6 1
East. 0 1 0 4 1 0 x — 6 9 2
WP: Kuske LP: Powers
Pitching
Crosscutters — Barnett 0IP, H, BB; Powers 5IP, 8H, 6ER, 2K, 5BB; Indelicato 1IP, 0H, 0ER, 0BB, K.
Eastmont — Kuske 4IP, 2H, 0ER, 8K, 2BB; Heimbigner 0.1IP, 0H, ER, 4BB; Banning 2.2IP, 4H, 2K.
Hitting
Crosscutters — Thomas 1-4, 2RBI; Barnett 3-4, RBI; Bear 1-3, 2R; Eaton 1-3, BB; McCracken 0-2, R, BB.
Eastmont — Popoff 2-3, R, BB; Kuske 2-2, R, RBI; Heimbigner 2-3, R, RBI; Murphy 1-2, RBI, 2BB; Banning 1-4, RBI.
Vancouver 11, Wilder 6
Vanc. 2 1 0 2 3 1 2 — 11 16 1
Wilder 3 0 0 0 0 2 1 — 6 7 1
WP: Rogina LP: Woods
Pitching
Vancouver — Rogina 5.2IP, 6H, 4ER, 2K, BB; Minich 1.1IP, H, ER, 2K, BB.
Wilder — Woods 3IP, 10H, 5ER; Shimko 3IP, 3H, 2ER, 2K, BB; Seibel 1IP, 3H, 2ER, K.
Hitting
Vancouver — Seiden 3-3, 2B, 3R, RBI, BB; Donohoe 2-4, HR, 2R, 2RBI; Moen 2-4, 3RBI; Gulliford 2-3, R, Hill 2-4, 3B, 3R; Heiser 1-3, 2RBI; Mansur 2-5, 2B, 3B, R, RBI.
Wilder — Guerrero 2-3, 3B, R, 3RBI; Jackson 2-4, 2R; Merritt 1-1 R, 2BB; Whitman 1-3, RBI; Wood 1-4, 2B, 2R.
