By Jeremy McDonald

jeremymcdonald74@gmail.com

SALEM, Ore.–  The City of Salem seems  to show out for South Salem-Sprague, adding to the pressure of the rivalry naturally. 

And mix in the fact that both teams are ranked Top 4 in 6A that makes the pressure that of the climax of an action movie. 

And it lived up to the hype for the first game.  Setting the tone for the next two games ahead of the two programs. 

Sprague answered first, leading 2-0 after one before South Salem responded with a three-run second inning to lead 3-2 by the bottom half of the second inning.  The Olympians chipped away.  Henry Mhoon ties the game in the bottom half of the third before a solo home run by Boyd Messman handed back the lead to Sprague going to the fifth-inning.

“We know how much this series means to everyone in Salem, it gives us a lot of pressure and we just have to turn that into runs and hopefully win,” Henry Mhoon said. “We just got to be ourselves like we have been all season.  Have fun and believe in ourselves and play hard.

“We know it was going to be a tough series going in and the game could’ve gone either way, but we’re going to be ourselves and come back in Game 2 and see what happens.”

Both squads traded zeros in the fifth.  South Salem turned a another zero in the top half of the sixth before putting the pressure back on the Olys in the top half of the sixth inning.

They are familiar with battling back from deficits, having done so a few times this season as they loaded up the bases with one out.  From there, Gavin Price ripped a double that cleared the bases, a throwing error at home allowed Price to advance to third.

The hit put the Saxons back ahead 6-4.

“A lot of the games we’ve came from behind. Pressure isn’t a big thing for us, we never let pressure get to us or the score get to us, we always play our game,” Price said.  “We know we’re capable, they brought their best stuff and what type of stuff they’re going to do to try to get to us and we know how to combat that.”

Price went 2-for-2 with 3RBI’s in the game, Jackson Buckingham went 2-for-2 playing DH for South Salem.  Sprague, who will look to even the series Wednesday at Gilmore Park, were led by Messman’s 2-for-4 day with 3RBI’s with two home runs. Henry Mhoon went 2-for-4 with an RBI in the defeat.

Photos By Jeremy McDonald