Before Wilsonville baseball’s 2-1 win over Bend in the first round of the 2024 OSAA Baseball State Championships on Tuesday, May 21, junior Drew Hall hadn’t been too successful in the bunt arena.
“I mean, it’s the first time I’ve gotten a bunt down all year,” Hall said. “And it was the biggest moment of the year, also.”
After the No. 6 Wildcats loaded the bases on a series of walks with the game tied 1-1 in the bottom of the seventh inning, Hall’s services as a squeeze artist were required.
And the junior delivered, knocking a bunt into the sweet spot between the No. 11 Lava Bears' pitcher and catcher, allowing senior Maverick Summers to slide home emphatically for the walk-off run at Wilsonville High School.
“I got the first pitch I wanted, I just missed the line, but then I got the fastball down the middle. I just had to get it down, and the runner was way in there, so that helped,” Hall said. “Those were some big walks to get the guys on, get the bases loaded and let me get a chance to get the job done.”
It was a perfectly placed first bunt of the year for Hall, who gave Bend no chance of picking off Summers at the plate.
When the Wildcats needed it most, they were able to manufacture a run during the final frame of a defensive ballgame on Tuesday, advancing to the second round of the 5A tournament where they’ll face third-seeded Ridgeview later this week.
“I got a little nervous there. I haven’t squeezed in my entire life,” Hall said. “We’ve been working on it in practice and I haven’t been great at it, so to get it done in a game at a big moment is pretty awesome.”
Prior to Hall’s bunt, however, it was unclear who would be advancing on Tuesday, as both Bend and Wilsonville struggled offensively in wet conditions.
The Lava Bears scored their only run of the ballgame in the top of the first, as sophomore Kaden Cooper led off with a walk and was replaced by courtesy runner Tanner Cuevas at first. From there, Cuevas advanced to second on a bad throw at first and ultimately reached third via an infield fielder’s choice.
Then, Cuevas scored on a wild pitch by Wildcats starting pitcher Justin Schramm, and Bend suddenly led 1-0 in the top of the first.
From there, Wilsonville quickly responded in the bottom of the same frame, as Hall got aboard on an infield error by Bend, senior Mark Wiepert was hit by a pitch, and both players stole a base to occupy second and third with only one out.
Then, Schramm was walked before junior Connor Johnston drove in a run with a groundout to the first baseman, knotting the game at one.
After the first inning, both defenses settled into the rainy conditions, allowing just eight total baserunners and zero runs until Hall’s walk-off suicide squeeze in the bottom of the seventh.
Schramm pitched a complete seven innings for the Wildcats, allowing just one run while striking out 10 batters. Meanwhile, Bend’s Fischer Barber pitched 6.1 innings for the Lava Bears, allowing just two hits while recording eight strikeouts.
Offensively, Wilsonville was led by Hall and junior Owen Eggert, who recorded the Wildcats’ only two hits of the game, while Johnston added his first-inning sacrifice RBI.
With the win, Wilsonville improves to 20-8 on the season and advances to take on Ridgeview in the second round on Friday, May 24. The two teams met at the Mavericks League Tournament back in March, where the Wildcats triumphed 6-2.
“We played Ridgeview earlier this year, we pitched well against them and we actually had the bats going,” Hall said. “I think all we have to do is get the bats going, because Justin Schramm pitched a great game and kept us in that game the entire time.”
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