By Jeremy McDonald

jeremymcdonald73@gmail.com

STAYTON, Ore.–  Stayton knew that every game against Philomath wasn’t going to be as one-sided as their first game of their three-game series on Tuesday.

With the series moving to Stayton Wednesday, it felt like the tight playoff-caliber game that one would expect coming between two good teams coming down the stretch of their regular seasons.

“It’ll be what a playoff game will feel like.  Run-for-run.  Super tight and game could’ve gone either way,” Nick Frith said.

Frith went five innings in his Eagles Senior Day, striking out 11 Warrior batters in the process.  The senior held Philomath scoreless through the first 13 runs as the lone run up until a Mason Stearns one-out single in the top half of the fifth inning was from an Eli Brown single back in the first inning.

The Warriors David Griffiths, who went the distance with six strikeouts of his own, settled down the defense to that one run with Stearns striking again in the sixth to hand Philomath a 2-1 lead.

“We knew that they were going to be good from the get-go.  They’re right behind us in league.  They’re playing well in league, so we knew it was going to be a tough game,” Brown said.

“Yesterday we needed to step up, jumped on them early and it worked out in our favor.  Today was a tough game.  We just have to be ready for tomorrow honestly.  We have to flush this loss tonight and have the proper mindset and get ready to go.”

Brown and Frith both had two hits apiece.  Frith got on base with a two-out single ang advanced to second on a steal, 180-feet away from tying the game, but the Eagle bats couldn’t muster that one more run to force extras as Stayton looks to rebound Thursday at Philomath.

Photos By Jeremy McDonald