By Jeremy McDonald

jeremymcdonald73@gmail.com

SALEM, Ore.– The South Salem baseball team settled in after their tough first inning defensively where West Salem scored three times against them.  But after trailing 3-0 after the first half inning, the Saxons tallied seven first inning runs to take a 7-3 lead into the second inning where Luke Erwin began to settle into a groove on the bump in the Saxons 14-4 victory on Tuesday.

“I think he did great, after that first inning a lot of pitchers would be like, ;oh crap’.  But he came back and had a great last few innings and that’s huge for a pitcher in being able to come back and they scored one more run, that’s pretty cool I say,” South Salem catcher Teagan Scott said.  

Scott points towards that seven run inning as their ability to comeback and not giving up as the two squads matched each other’s energy levels during the second and third innings.  Cracking down on runs and keeping the score at that four-run margin until the fourth inning when South Salem pieced together a four-run inning.

The Titans got a run back in the top half of the fifth inning off an Aiden Rock Fielder’s Choice, but it wasn’t meant to be as the Saxons continued to produce hits and runs into the fifth.  Ending the game in five after a three-run fifth inning to put South Salem within a win of clinching the Central Valley Conference-Title.

“You throw strikes and no free passes, they didn’t hit it those two innings.  Throw strikes and make plays in the field,” Rock said.  “It’s been…learn how to come back and not get too down on ourselves, even if we’re losing, just keep the energy up and try to keep playing hard  all the time even if we’re losing.”

Rock, Carter Howard and Carter Garland each record an RBI in the defeat.  Howard drove two in back in the first inning that gave West Salem a then 2-0 lead and Garland got his RBI the very next At-Bat.  Scott led the South Salem with 5RBI’s on two hits, three coming in the first inning off a single as Cole Wiland and Sawyer Nelson each drove in another 2RBI’s in the win to open up the three-game series. 

Game 2 of the series is coming Wednesday at West Salem High School.  First pitch is at 5pm.

Photos By Jeremy McDonald