>La Grande Observer | Union and Wallowa Counties' News Leader

THE CLINCHER: Travis Ludwig (right) greets Huskies at home plate after belting a two-run homer. - Observer photo/BRUCE MASON

Paint it purple.

Elgin defeated visiting Union, 10-6 Friday, behind toughness, hustle, big bats and unearned runs, heading into the OSAA tournament with a No. 1 seed.

And get this. The Huskies won despite their ace not being his best. Six runs? Ten hits? No. Ludwig was a far cry from his usual, masterful self.

“He knew it was going to be tough,” Luse said. “(The Bobcats) were gunning for a district title.

“He told us, if we get him some runs, ‘I guarantee we’ll win.’”

Guarantee delivered.

Paint it purple.

The Sixth Inning

Deaths come in threes? Runs certainly did in this game.

Elgin scored three times in the first and second innings, sandwiching the Bobcats’ three-run second inning.

Then came the sixth.

Jaden Herron (3-for-3, double, 3 RBIs) led yet another three-run inning, cutting the Union deficit to one run, setting up a potential heroic comeback.

 So here we were. Kyle Langford at the plate. One out. Tying run at first base.

Ludwig set. Wound up. Released ...

Pop.

There was the hardball,

skying into the Elgin air behind the plate. “UP!” they yelled. Up, catcher Jake Kennedy looked.

He tossed his mask. He hustled toward the fence. He slid knee-first, eyeing that downward-spiriling hardball, right into his thick glove. Out. Great play!

And he wasn’t finished.

Kennedy popped to his feet, looked toward the infield, then gunned toward first. Another out. Double play! Inning over.

Momentum gone.

And sure enough, Ludwig (3-for-4) delivered in the bottom of the sixth, belting a two-run homer over the right-centerfield fence, over the street, clinching this district championship.

Paint it purple. 

“We look at him to do big things like that,” Luse said. “He lives for it.” 

The letter of the game: “D”

The Huskies’ batting order consists of nine kids who can drive the ball. A dangerous lineup. “Murderer’s Row,” Luse says.

But, on this day, it was four kids who were impressive in the field, leading to their OSAA No. 1 seed.

Here was centerfielder G.D. Clark, unleashing his cannon from the outfield, nailing a runner at home plate.  

Here was Dalton Moore and Clint Predmore, turning a double play.

Then came that Kennedy Classic, and there went Union, having to play again later in the day versus Joseph, hoping for an OSAA playoff berth.

“We did some things really well,” Bobcats coach Greg Poor said, “and did some things not so well.”

Ten Union errors were “not so well.” Ten! They were committed in the infield (seven), outfield (one), and foul territory (two), crippling these Bobcats.

Those errors led to three unearned runs in the first. Another three in the second.  Eight total. And all of them gave Elgin a May 20 date versus today’s winner between Stanfield-Dufur.

Stanfield? Ahh, yes. The Tigers. They defeated Elgin last year in the OSAA quarterfinals (7-5), thanks to Casey Irving belting a game-winning homer, ending the Huskies’ season.

Painful? Sure. But now, glorious revenge may be within striking distance.

“We want Stanfield,” Luse said. “We had that game last year ... we had it.

“Our kids want redemption bad.”

Paint them purple? We’ll see.

“I’m excited to see how far (the Huskies) go in states,” Poor said. “Nobody sees them coming.”

Union         030 003 0     — 6 10 10

Elgin          330 013 x     — 10 12 3

WP — Ludwig. LP — Titus.

2B — E, Clark, Predmore, Baker; U, Herron, Smith. HR — E, Ludwig. RBI — E, Ludwig (3), Kennedy, Predmore, Baker; U, Herron (3), Langford.