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Never say never: Tigers rally, advance
 EUPHORIC STATE: Richie Carmichael celebrates his seventh-inning, game-tying, three-run homer. Observer photo/BRUCE MASON The Tigers were being shutout. At home. Versus Scappoose. Trailing by three with their season and OSAA title defense hopes hanging in balance, hanging on this prayer of a late comeback. The previous inning, they loaded the bases, only to leave three runners stranded, sending the crowd into an odd, deafening silence. Is this really happening? A shutout? At home? Possibly one and done from this postseason? Evan Humphrey stepped into the batter’s box, worked the count to two balls, two strikes. But then ... Ping. Ground out. One down. Andrew Tao was next. He worked the count to two balls, two strikes. But then ... Ping. Fly out. Two down. One out left? It’s all over, right?
So here we were. Kevin Boyd at the plate. One bad swing from being done. Tigers coaches and players urged Boyd to reach base against Scappoose starter Charlie Updike. The bases were empty. Lots of work was left. So Updike set on the rubber, sporting that curly hair flowing outside his cap, hair that matched the orange jersey color reading “Tribe,” with one out — one pitch, perhaps — away from completing his masterful performance. Two hits through 6 2/3 innings. Zero runs. One walk. Two hit batsmen. And now, the No. 9 hitter was at the plate. It’s all over, right? Not so fast. Five pitches later, Boyd was at first base with a walk. One batter later, Anthony Nice hustled down the first base line, beating out an infield grounder. So now it was up to Richie Carmichael. Two runners on base. One out left. And all these parents, fans, coaches and teammates watching, hoping, for him to come through in this pressure-packed moment. Four years of high school baseball ran through his mind. The season may have, too. Maybe even defending that state title. Pressure? Yeah. Pressure and more pressure. “You’re not looking to get on base,” Coach Doug Schow told Carmichael, “you’re looking to tie the game.” Carmichael swung. He missed. Now the count was full. And there was Head Coach Mark Lanman — who was just hoping for a base hit — standing at third base, saying to himself, “uh-oh, he is trying to put it out.” One strike left? It’s all over, right?
Updike already struck out Carmichael in the first inning on a check swing. Then again in the sixth inning. He kept him guessing. Off balanced. Stifled. Confused. Three balls, two strikes? It’s all over, right? Here came the payoff pitch. Updike set. Wound. Released. Crack ... Back it went ... could it be? Back it went ... still going. Back it went ... get up!! Back it went ... Gone. Gone? Gone! Three-run homer. Tie game. Carmichael raised his right fist into the air, turning this hopeful sprint into a home-run trot. He passed second base, filled with adrenaline, yelling, jabbing at the air, past third base, slapping Lanman high-five, then touched home plate, greeting an exhilarated bunch of Tigers, their game still alive, their season still alive, their title defense still alive. “That’s what dreams are made of!” Tigers assistant coach Eric Yundt screamed at Carmichael inside the dugout, after he was mobbed by teammates while the crowd stood and roared. “That’s what dreams are made of!” That’s what dreams are made of. And Carmichael turned “all over” to “never over,” sending his team into extra innings.
So after all that drama, here came the Indians in the top of the eighth, with the go-ahead run lurking at third base. Ninety feet away. Ninety feet away from crushing all that momentum from Carmichael’s heroics. The count was two balls, two strikes, and Zach Nice was on the mound. Set. Wind. Release. Zoom. Zoom. Pop! Strike three? Ball three. It was so close! It looked like the threat was over, as Nice stood off the mound, on the grass, looking toward home plate. But now the count was full. One good pitch, the inning could be over. One bad pitch, Scappoose could lead by one. Will Zach Nice buckle? With the count full? With the tying run within striking distance? Zach Nice? The kid who got out of that bases-loaded jam in the state championship game last season? Not going to happen. He induced a ground ball, directly toward Carmichael at second base. He bobbled it, but then picked it up off the dirt, threw to first. Out. Inning over. Calm, collected, Zach Nice delivers again. Bottom of the eighth is next.
Now it’s the Tigers’ turn, as Jacob Johnston was in the batter’s box, facing a new Scappoose pitcher. He worked the count to two balls, two strikes. And then ... Ping. Down the left-field line. Fair ball? Fair ball! Johnston rounded first, crowed cheering, teammates cheering, as they watched him reach second base with a stand-up, leadoff double. He would reach third on Josh Yundt’s sacrifice bunt, setting up Humphrey with an opportunity to win the game. So here we were. Suicide squeeze was the call. And there was Humphrey, extending those arms forward, readying to bunt, readying to bring Johnston home. But Humphrey missed. Johnston was down the base line, caught in a dangerous position. The Scappoose catcher popped up, throwing toward third, trying to eliminate this potential game-winning run. But the ball hit Johnston. Then the dirt. Whew. Safe! Disaster avoided. And wouldn’t you know it, with another chance, Humphrey knocked a pitch into the outfield, sending Johnston home, sending La Grande into the next round with a 4-3 victory. All over becomes never over. “My hats off to La Grande,” Scappoose coach Robert Medley said. “They showed a lot of character. “They never quit at the end, and they got the job done. “Storybook for them, not so much for us.” That storybook was written by Josh Yundt and Zach Nice making gigantic defensive plays in the fifth inning, saving runs. It was written by Carmichael on the mound, who yielded just four hits through six innings. And it was written, of course, by Carmichael’s clutch, game-tying, three-run homer, too. All over becomes never over. On to Newport at 4 p.m. Friday.
One at-bat left? Down three runs? Three outs, season over? Was there ever any panic? “No,” Lanman said. “You can’t. I might’ve last year or the year before. But with this group of kids, it just seems like, you know ... “It’s the same thing that happened last year through the playoffs. The other team would go up, we’d come back. “That’s the exact way it was (Tuesday).” One strike from being done. One off-balanced swing from being done. Yet Captain Clutch came through. “When I got around first, I saw it disappear over the fence — that’s when I knew it was gone,” Carmichael said. “It was a lot of disappointment leaving. It was a lot of relief, too.” He paused. “And then just pure excitement.”
La Grande 000 000 31 — 4 7 4 WP — Z.Nice. LP — Paxton 2B — LG, Johnston. HR — LG, Carmichael. |
