Columbia Gorge Hustler batter Payton Eaton takes a swing at a pitch during Sunday’s doubleheader. Monday in Wilsonville, Eaton and the Hustlers won, 7-4. Ray Rodriguez photo
Columbia Gorge Hustler batter Payton Eaton takes a swing at a pitch during Sunday’s doubleheader. Monday in Wilsonville, Eaton and the Hustlers won, 7-4. Ray Rodriguez photo
Coming off two losses Sunday by a 24-5 margin to Mound Time, the Columbia Gorge Hustlers found a way to respond just 24 hours later in a 7-4 league win over the Northwest Stars Monday in an American Legion baseball game played at Wilsonville High School.
“It was the best team game I’ve seen from this group so far this year,” said Hustler head coach Chris Loyd.
The Hustlers fell behind 4-3 through the first five innings, but managed two runs in the sixth and added two in the ninth to pull off the comeback.
In the top of the sixth, Payton Eaton doubled and Johnny Miller added a single to put runners on the corners for leadoff hitter Morgan Williams.
Williams grounded out to first to drive in Eaton, and then Miller raced home after a ball hit by Colin Noonan was booted by the Stars’ first baseman.
Out in front 5-4 in the top of the ninth inning, the Hustlers would give starting pitcher Patrick Harvey two insurance runs.
Noonan walked to lead off, and one out later, Harvey reached on an error that allowed Noonan to score.
Bradley Moe then drove in Harvey with an RBI groundout.
Harvey retired the first two batters of the ninth inning, and an error put a runner on base.
Harvey then struck out the final batter on a 2-2 pitch to end the game.
Noonan, who slugged a first-inning home run, went 1 for 4 with a walk, two RBIs and three runs scored; Harvey had two hits and an RBI; and Eaton went 2 for 4 with a run and an RBI.
Miller had a hit and scored a run, and Williams, Kolbe Bales and Moe drove in runs for the Hustlers, who had seven hits.
The Stars scored two run in the first inning and tacked on single runs in the second and fifth frames to lead 4-3.
From the sixth inning, on however, Harvey allowed one hit, induced four groundouts, two flyouts and struck out 6, only allowing one runner to advance as far as second base.
In his nine-inning, complete game performance, Harvey struck out 11, walked one, hit two batters and allowed four runs, three earned.
The Hustlers (3-7 overall, 3-1 league) hosts Alpenrose for a nine-inning game at 5 p.m. Wednesday.
“We’re really focused on winning league and setting ourselves up for a top seed at state,” Loyd said.
After that Alpenrose matchup, CG heads to the four-day Spokane Wood Bat Classic from July 1-4.
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