LACEY — Give the Northwest Christian Wolverines a field, some bats, some gloves and an opponent, and they’ll be ready to play, even on extremely short notice.
Case in point, the Wolverines were scheduled to play the second game of a two-game series against Muckleshoot Tribal School on Thursday, but they learned after playing the Kings in Auburn Tuesday night that the second game would be forfeited.
Northwest Christian could’ve opted for an extra day off, given that the Wolverines also have a long trip to Friday Harbor scheduled for Friday. But the Wolverines wanted to compete, no matter who they were against. Plus, the second game against Muckleshoot Tribal School would’ve served as Northwest Christian’s senior night.
So, Tuesday evening, Northwest Christian athletic director Emily Vahey hopped on the phone with Oakville athletic director Christina Mootz to see if the Acorns would have interest in coming to the Regional Athletic Complex on Thursday. The two schools and their coaches agreed to play.
Northwest Christian technically earned two victories in one day on Thursday: the forfeited game against Muckleshoot Tribal School and a 15-2 thumping of Oakville on senior night. The Wolverines rolled off 14 of their 15 runs in the second inning.
“We’ve been focusing on hunting fastballs, and that’s been working a lot,” senior pitcher Parker Cox said. “Everyone’s super aggressive this year. That’s a big thing that we’ve wanted to capitalize on, not wanting to strike out.”
After Cox worked a 1-2-3 top of the first inning on the mound, Marshall Guyer picked up an RBI on a sacrifice groundout in the bottom of the first inning to put Northwest Christian ahead 1-0.
Oakville tied the game in the top of the second inning without needing a hit. With two outs, the Acorns loaded the bases with two hit batters and a walk, and a balk by Cox allowed Philip Kukhar to score.
For the third time this season, Northwest Christian rattled off 10 or more runs in an inning, this time spurring a season-best inning of 14 runs in the second. Senior Jack Vahey, in his final home game of his five-year baseball career at Northwest Christian, ripped a bases-clearing triple down the first-base line to give the Wolverines a 5-1 advantage.
By the time the Acorns got the first out of the inning, they were down 7-1, and out No. 2 came when they were trailing 10-1. Kanakoa Paresa and Myles McLain each drove in one run in the frame, and Cox and Bennett Hall, both seniors, delivered two-run singles.
Cox rebounded from a tough second inning and shut the Acorns offense down over the final three frames. He pitched five innings overall and struck out four batters while allowing just one hit and two runs.
“Parker has had a bit of a Jekyll and Hyde season. It was really nice to see him put it all together, especially as we get closer to the postseason,” Northwest Christian head coach Jordan Potis said of Cox. “The command was there. It looked like the breaking pitches were better today than they have been, and his confidence was certainly what I think helped carry him. He’s peaking at the right time.”
Oakville first-year head coach Sean McAllister was excited to give his young team an opportunity to face one of the top baseball squads in Class 1B, even on abrupt notice. As the Acorns have had a revolving door at the head coach position in recent years, he believes Oakville is trending toward growth in the near future.
“I knew my boys would love the experience. Top of the state or bottom of the state, we’re going to come out and compete against whoever,” McAllister said. “I told the boys to get out there and compete, have some grit and have some confidence. I’m slowly seeing more and more of that.”
After the game, both teams celebrated their seniors. Oakville’s seniors are Etienne Geschke, Isaiah Napoleon, and T Torrance, while Northwest Christian’s seniors are Cox, Vahey and Hall.
The Wolverines’ seniors were all freshmen when Potis took over as the head coach. He credited them for establishing a standard of success at Northwest Christian.
“It’s been fun to watch them go from freshmen to seniors and how they’ve evolved as leaders and baseball players,” Potis said. “I think our team is very well balanced, and that starts with the veteran leadership. With a team this small and a school this small, we have to rely on everybody and we trust everybody. It certainly starts with those three.”
McAllister thanked his seniors for bringing positivity to the clubhouse every day.
“They know how the program is run. We’re really trying to build a program here, and it’s awesome that we have three seniors because they’re the ones that are really bought into the program,” he said. “They bring that positivity, baseball knowledge and competitive edge to those younger kids and push them to be the best that they can be.”
Northwest Christian (10-4, 4-4 Sea-Tac League) will visit Friday Harbor Friday afternoon, while Oakville (3-9) will host Winlock Tuesday, May 5.
