By Jeremy McDonald

jeremymcdonald73@gmail.com

STAYTON, Ore.–  North Marion’s Griffin Henry was on a mission Friday evening versus Santiam as both team’s battled for the first-place position in the American Legion Zone 2 Single A standings.

Despite giving up a few free bases, the soon-to-be sophomore struckout 11 with a strong defense behind him as his offense build a 6-0 lead in the 6-4 victory in Stayton.

“I made a couple of mistakes, walking a lot of kids.  But I fought through it and just got it done,” said Henry on the performance.

For most of the game, it was a pitchers dual between Henry and Ryan Brown of the Senators with the lone runs coming off a Dylan Doubrava three-run homerun shot in the second inning for a 3-0 lead entering the fifth inning that boosted the moral of the Huskies.

“That homerun just kind of lifted everyone, that lifted me with my swings because all year I’ve been close but it got caught,” said Doubrava on the shot.  “It just got everyone rallied up.”

Though Brown had five strikeouts in six innings, frustrations were there for the Senators as their offense struggle to find hits and it was putting pressure back on them on the defensive end.

“Most of it was that we weren’t mentally prepared for how good the pitching was, we saw the pitching on Tuesday and they had the left-hander (who) threw a good game and we weren’t ready for that,” said Santiam’s Hunter BeDoya on the game.

“It was really frustrating for me personally at the plate too, I can’t imagine for everybody else.  Knowing that maybe one hit and the inning that we had last I mean, we could’ve won the game.”

That inning, in the seventh, with the score reading 6-0, the Senators chipped away at the lead.

Doubrava walked in a run, Gresyon Hanowell brought two-home on a double before BeDoya added another one.

With two outs, the score read 6-4 with the tying run at second and the game-winner at first and BeDoya’s brother, Devon, coming to the plate.

Both Doubrava and Devon BeDoya battled, but Doubrava and North ended the rally and gave the Huskies the win.

Follow Jeremy McDonald on Twitter at @J_McDonald81 or like jmcdonaldmedia on Facebook!

PHOTO GALLERY (PICTURES BY JEREMY MCDONALD)