RIDGEFIELD – Eddie Marson was chomping at the bit for one more plate appearance.
The Tumwater High School shortstop and emotional leader was intentionally walked in the bottom of the fifth and needed at least two runners to reach in the seventh.
He stepped to the batter's box with the chance to play hero at the Ridgefield Outdoor Recreation Complex.
“They were scared of me,” Marson said. “I felt hungry. Once I came back up, I knew I was going to take the game. I was doing a job.”
You can say that again.
Marson chopped a seeing-eye grounder past R.A. Long’s diving shortstop Reece Grothoff that plated Derek Thompson for the walk-off 3-2 victory in a Class 2A District 4 elimination game that puts the Thunderbirds back in the state tournament.
Marson was at the bottom of a dog pile as the Tumwater (18-6) dugout spilled out in euphoria. It will find out its opening round opponent by Sunday when the bracket is released.
“I just wanted to put my foot down, put something in play,” Marson said. “It happened to work out. I believe in the guys since the first pitch. It shows me, shows our team, if we’re down by five or up by five, we’re always in the game.”
With a heartbreaking 6-5 extra-inning loss in the semifinals on Wednesday, for the first time all year, the reigning two-time state champs’ season was officially on the brink.
And it was even more so staring at a 2-1 deficit with three outs left.
“They (found) a way,” Tumwater head coach Lyle Overbay stated.
Charlie Crawford and Peyton Davis started the seventh with back-to-back walks. Then Derek Thompson roped the game-tying single through the left side of the infield.
Will Bond laid down a bunt and the Lumberjacks (15-9) got the lead runner out at third.
“They had good at-bats, but to execute it is on them,” Overbay said. “They did a really good job executing.”
That set up Marson. It took two pitches on relief pitcher Hunter Brewer to keep the dream of three-peating alive.
The game was pushed to 11 a.m. due to Tumwater’s prom happening Saturday night. Its players got out of Ridgefield rather quickly.
“It is going to be fun,” Marson said with a chuckle.
Liam Karlson, the starter in the Thunderbirds quarterfinal win over Mark Morris, was efficient versus the Lumberjacks. He tossed 68 pitches and only 12 of them were balls.
He kept R.A. Long off the board for five innings.
“I knew they were going to be aggressive and they just hit a lot of weak balls,” Karlson said. “I just think we came out, (knowing) we can play our game.”
The right-hander got an early lead with Marson ripping a run-scoring single in the third. Come the sixth, the Lumberjacks seized momentum.
After getting out of a bases loaded jam that featured the aforementioned intentional walk to Marson, they took the lead on an RBI double from Logan Dorland and a sacrifice fly by Nick Niday.
“I think these guys, they do a good job flipping it,” Overbay said. “We were able to.”
Karlson set R.A. Long down in order in the top of the seventh to maintain the gap. He finished with five strikeouts and allowed six hits plus zero walks in all seven innings on the bump.
“We weren’t done,” Karlson said.
Tumwater made several baserunning mistakes that Overbay wasn’t pleased with. Still, it is guaranteed at least one more game and is four wins away from cementing a dynasty.
Self-belief was always with the Thunderbirds. Now, after rallying for the second straight contest, the confidence is bubbling.
“It is another accomplishment,” Marson said. “We’re almost there.”
