After starting their league schedule by losing two of three games to Canby and La Salle, Wilsonville looked to bounce back against a Rex Putnam team that has had some troubles of its own against North West Oregon Conference opponents.
Coming into the series, Wilsonville had a 2-4 record in the league, while Putnam had a 4-3 record in the NWOC. In the first game of the series on Tuesday, these teams squared off at Putnam and were tied at two apiece going into the 7th inning before the Wilsonville offense broke out, scoring six runs and eventually thwarting a Putnam rally later in that inning to win 8-4.
In game 2, Wilsonville had a 4-1 lead before the defense began to crumble, and the Kingsmen bats came to life in the latter innings, including a two-run home run off the bat of Jackson Fera to put the proverbial nail in the Wildcat’s coffin.
Putnam closed things out, taking game two by a score of 7-4. It was a very deflating loss for a Wilsonville team that continues to take on water as league play progresses. The Wildcats are basically out of contention for winning the league, something that wasn’t even seen as a possibility heading into the year. Now, they are battling just to stay in the top half of the NWOC.
Heading into the series’ final game, it’s critical for both squads; Wilsonville needs to find a way to start building momentum with less than a month to go in the regular season. Before the series’ final game, they have a mediocre 10-8 overall record and an even less inspiring 3-5 league record. Though they are still ranked #6 in the State, it will be tough to move up those rankings if they continue to struggle in the league.
On the other hand, Putnam looks to take the series and bury the knife a little deeper into the Wilsonville season. Putnam has a less-than-ideal 7-9 record but has been playing better lately with a 5-3 league record. Though the Kingsmen are ranked just #22 in the latest OSAA rankings, they will look to move up with another win over the Wildcats on Friday.
Cooper Adams spoke on this Wilsonville team’s recent struggles: “We need to refocus on what we have been able to do well over the last few games and not worry about our mistakes; we can’t change what happened after it is over, even if we might want to.”
Wilsonville hopes to win its first league series on Friday before it begins the home stretch of the regular season with series against Milwaukie, Hood River Valley, Hillsboro, and Centennial.
Berkley Reents talked about the keys for Wilsonville to succeed and get their first series win of the season: “We will trust each other on every pitch (Luke). Haener will go out there and pitch well at the plate. We are going to be ultra-focused with our at-bats.”
It’s a big game for both teams as they battle it out in Putnam in the last week of April before Wilsonville has a two-game set against Milwaukie.
