At long last, Sherman advances to state playoffs

Once Thieme exited, however, the Sherman bats woke up in dominating fashion.

The No. 7-ranked Huskies erased a five-run, fifth-inning deficit with a 13-run sixth inning, followed by a two-run seventh to complete the 15-5 comeback triumph Saturday in a Blue Mountain Conference baseball semifinal played Saturday at Bob White Field in Pendleton.

“We left six runners on base, but we couldn’t quite get that one punch-in run against him, but we made him throw 84 pitches by the end the fifth,” said Sherman coach Joe Justesen. “Once they pulled him, we just kind of caught fire. I have never seen the floodgates open like that since I have been coaching, especially against a quality team like Pilot Rock. It was great to see the boys respond the way they did.”

Treve Martin led off the sixth inning with a sharp single, and the Sherman train kept chugging from there.

In all, the Huskies rattled off 10 hits, including two doubles and a triple, and took advantage of two errors, three walks and four passed balls to do its damage.

Jacob Justesen posted two hits and three RBIs, and both Maverick Winslow and Jacob Shandy had hits and added two RBIs apiece.

Diego Valdez, Treve Martin, Brett Troutman and Trey Homer also drove in a run each.

Out in front by a 13-5 score, coach Justesen sent out Troutman to close out the final two innings.

The junior right-hander gave up one hit, walked two and hit a batter, but struck out two to pick up the winning decision in relief.

Jacob Justesen lasted 1 2/3 innings and Max Martin gave up four runs on four hits in his 3 1/3 innings of relief, keeping his team close enough to stage its rally.

Treve Martin went 4 for 5 with two runs and an RBI, Homer added three hits, two runs scored and three RBIs, and Jacob Justesen was 2 for 5 with a run and three RBIs.

Valdez added two hits, two runs and an RBI, Shandy finished 2 for 5 with two runs and two RBIs, and Troutman notched two hits, a run scored and an RBI in Sherman’s 15-hit attack.

Already with a state berth after last Tuesday’s win over Culver, the first since 2009, coach Justesen said he wanted to limit the pitch counts of his ace hurlers on Saturday, so they are fresh and available for a first-round state matchup on Wednesday.

“We came in to this tournament feeling pretty loose knowing that no matter what happened that day, we were guaranteed a state playoff spot,” coach Justesen said. “It takes the pressure off. Once you get there, the competitive juices start to flow. We had this opportunity and we wanted to take full advantage of it.”

Last year, Sherman lost 10-0 to Dufur in the district playoffs and denied state contention.

This season, the Huskies have now won 17 games, earned a home playoff matchup and boast the 2A classification’s ninth-best scoring offense at 206 runs (8.9 per game) and a pitching staff that has allowed 115 runs (5 per game) in what has turned into an all-around team effort.

Now, the senior trio of Winslow, Kyle Fields and Max Martin, all two-time state basketball champions, get a chance to see if they can vault to baseball glory.

“I want to make the state playoffs every single year and we strive for that. So, to finally get that chance this year is a great feeling,” coach Justesen said. “It is exciting because this is a group of kids that I started in T-Ball with when they were just coming up. Knowing their bloodlines, I knew they were going to be good competitors. It is great for these kids. It is exciting for them and it is a great way to send these seniors off.”

Sherman (17-6 overall) hosts No. 10 Kennedy (18-6) at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday in a first-round state matchup in Moro.

If they are successful on Wednesday, the Huskies play the winner of Lost River and Knappa Matchup on Friday.

“What I tell them now is that just because we are there, the goal is not just to play in one game, but to play many more,” coach Justesen said. “We can’t settle on just being happy with getting there. I want them to compete and do all the things that they are capable of doing and be champions like they are. I am looking forward to this and how they step up to the challenge.”