By Jeremy McDonald

jeremymcdonald73@gmail.com

SALEM, Ore.–  Sprague’s Brandon Stinnett’s game-winning home run Wednesday against Sherwood was just him doing his part to help the team. He was leading off, top of the order in the bottom half of the seventh inning and had found his pitch and turned on it to help lift the Olympians over the Bowmen into the 6A State Quarterfinals on Friday against Jesuit.   

The home run was one of two that the senior infielder had hit in the Sweet 16 home game on that South Salem afternoon.  Flexing his muscle and showing, in part, on why he won Central Valley Conference Player of the Year this Spring with Sprague.

“It feels great but at the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter a ton to me cause I’m a team guy.  I’ll like to go far in the playoffs and give it our best shot, that’s a big deal for me,” said Stinnett.  “My sophomore year I had an older guy, second baseman Chris Rogers.  He kind of guided me and got me to where I am today.  I’m trying to do that with our younger second baseman in Mhoon too, he’s a great player.  It’s been great.”

Rogers is currently part of the Edmonds College baseball team that reached the NWAC Championship game, having played 13 games this season.  For Stinnet, he’ll be heading to Seattle University in the Fall to play baseball with the Redhawks.  A Sprague connection with former Oly student-athlete Joey Wong helped recurit and opened the door for Stinnett to go up to the Western Athletic Conference program.

As for now though, his focus is with his current Sprague squad and helping them reach the 6A State Semi-final round against a tough Crusader squad on Friday.  A team that they fell to 4-0 early in the season and are hoping to duplicate that same success Friday and see if they can reach the next round playing their own brand of baseball.

“They’re obviously a really good squad.  But that’s what we work for and I think we got a good squad to do it.  Just play Sprague baseball and whoever is the best team will win,” said Stinnett.

First pitch Friday is at 5pm.

Photos By Jeremy McDonald