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Mac-Hi Massacre: Tigers dominate
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 JJ: Jacob Johnston digs into the batter’s box, readying for an oncoming pitch Friday. - Observer photos/BRUCE MASON Burgundy jerseys. “P” on the left chest. Strikeouts. Errors. Suspect pitching. Is this them? No. These were Mac-Hi Pioneers, just looking like that ’72 Major-League worst team from Cheesesteak Land at Optimist Field Friday versus host La Grande. Two games. Two blowouts. Twenty-four Tiger hits. Twenty-one Tiger runs. One Mac-Hi Massacre. La Grande dominated its Greater Oregon League rival, 10-0, 11-5, sweeping this doubleheader, treating opposing hurlers like a slow pitching machine. Whack. There’s Richie Carmichael, lacing a game-one triple off the centerfield fence. Whack. There’s Anthony Nice, belting a two-run homer over the right-centerfield fence. Whack. More hits. Whack. More runs. The only thing stopping La Grande was 25 minutes between games one and two. But then play resumed. And so did the slugfest. Crack. There’s Nice (4-for-4, double, triple), again. Crack. There’s Cody McKague (3-for-4, double, triple, 3 RBI). Crack. There was Carmichael, Zach Nice (double) and Jacob Johnston recording RBIs, too, helping La Grande roll, 11-5. Twenty-four hits? Twenty-one runs? Those hardballs must have looked like beachballs. “We hit the ball hard today,” said Tigers coach Mark Lanman, whose team improved to 7-5, 4-2 GOL. “That’s what we gotta do.” Equally impressive as those bats was game one starting pitcher, Mr. Carmichael. Zero hits. Nine strikeouts. Zero runs. And multiple Pioneers batters walking back to the dugout, heads down, wanting no more. Whiff. There’s Carmichael, fanning a batter. Whiff. There’s another batter, missing a hardball radaring toward McKague’s catcher’s mitt. More swings. More whiffs. It was like someone Tivoed Carmichael’s performance at Baker last Saturday and played it again.
 NICE TROT HOME: Senior Anthony Nice eyes a pack of Tigers at home plate Friday after belting a two-run homer over the right centerfield fence in game one. Nice was 4-for-4 (double, triple) in game two. La Grande swatted 24 hits and scored 21 runs, sweeping its doubleheader, improving to 7-5, 4-2 Greater Oregon League. - Observer photos/BRUCE MASON “What can you say,” Lanman chuckled when asked to assess Carmichael’s mastery. “He’s just pitching really well.” Really well? One hit in 12 innings? Two runs in 17 innings? “Really well” is like saying the New York Yankees won a few championships. A vast understatement. Control. Confidence. Flawlessness. All of it was on display for spectators Friday at Optimist Field, as Carmichael mowed batters consistently. “He just looked really relaxed,” Lanman said. “It helps when you’re locating the ball.” And it helps when your team is hitting the ball. Twenty-four hits? Twenty-one runs? Check those Tigers eyes for X-ray vision. “That’s pretty darn good,” said Lanman, whose team hosts Nyssa at 2 p.m. Monday. “That’s how we gotta hit the ball.”
Game 1Mac-Hi 000 00 — 0 0 2 La Grande 002 53 — 10 10 2 WP — Carmichael. LP — Rubio. 2B — LG, Yundt, Carmichael. 3B— LG, Carmichael. HR — LG, A. Nice.
Game 2Mac-Hi 000 300 2 — 5 5 6 La Grande 520 013 x — 11 14 1 WP — Z.Nice. LP — Crogan. 2B — LG, A.Nice, McKague, Z.Nice. 3B — LG, A.Nice, McKague. |
