Malad’s title hopes survive a loss and an offensive resurgence to win an elimination game

CALDWELL – Nobody ever said winning a championship was easy.

Especially when trying to repeat.

“It definitely took some work to get everyone going,” Malad coach Chad Maroney said after the top-seeded Dragons lost to Orofino 9-6 in Friday’s 3A semifinals. “Pretty disappointed we didn’t get that first one … we know how deep we are and we never questioned the second game would be ours.”

The second game was an elimination game against Melba.

Maroney noted after Thursday’s win over Salmon that the Dragons’ offense was solid from 1 to 9, and about an hour after the disappointing loss to Orofino, Malad took the field in a win-or-go-home game and the lineup finally clicked on the way to a 13-5 win.

The game was tied 4-4 before Malad finally busted out, scoring three runs in the bottom of the fifth, taking advantage of an error and an RBI single by Ethan Horsley.

Malad opened the floodgates in sixth, putting six runs on the board and were a key hit away from a win by 10-run mercy rule.

Following the game, Horsley talked about the team’s bond and ability to pick each other up, especially on a rollercoaster day like Friday and the pressure of playing an elimination game.

“The main thing is we focus on family and being a team,” he said.

The win sets up a rematch with second-seeded Orofino on Saturday for the championship.

The defending champion Dragons would need to beat the Maniacs twice in order to celebrate another title.

Asked about concerns for his pitching staff potentially playing four games in two days, Maroney said the team’s depth on the mound hadn’t even been tested yet.

“We have good pitching that hasn’t even touched the ball yet,” he said. “We like where we’re at.”

Easton Green finished 2 for 3 with an RBI, Carter Cary was 2 for 3 with two RBIs and three runs, and Hudson Daniels and Kyson Willie each knocked in two runs to go along with Horsley’s two RBIs.

Saturday’s championship game is at 2 p.m., with the if-necessary game set for 5 p.m. at Wolfe Field in Caldwell.