Marsh Valley bounces back from game-one loss, takes Saturday pair to qualify for state

ARIMO — After beating the Marsh Valley Eagles and their ace Friday night, the Filer Wildcats were unable to close things out in game one of a doubleheader Saturday, falling 5-4. Then they left the door slightly ajar in the first inning of a winner-take-all game three with an error, allowing the Marsh Valley lead-off man to reach.

Four batters later, the Eagles and senior Ethan Anderson kicked the door clean off the hinges with a three-run homer.

Head coach Kent Howell called the blast a “huge hit” in terms of the massive momentum swing it provided.

“It was huge, to put the pressure on them early and get their minds thinking, ‘Oh man, this might be it for us,'” Howell said after the game. “That’s what you want, you want the other team feeling pressure.”

Asked what the players thought, watching a 3-2 pitch sail over the fence in center field, senior Boston Sorensen said: “It’s over. That’s how the energy felt, like we’d won already.”

That feeling ended up being correct, as the Eagles ran away with a 9-4 win to secure a berth in next week’s 4A state tournament.

Sorensen got the start in the first game Saturday, game two of the series, needing to win to force a third and deciding game Saturday afternoon.

He said that, after the Eagles lost 4-2 Friday night with ace Tate Whitworth on the mound, Howell told the team that they were talented enough to win the series, and that they needed to play to the best of their ability. Howell, Sorensen added, told the team, though, that they needed to be more gritty.

“Dig in, get gritty,” Anderson said of the speech Howell gave after Friday’s loss.

“We talked a lot about grit, and team effort, and being there for each other,” Howell explained.

On the bump in a win-or-go-home game, Sorensen held Filer to three hits and three unearned runs, striking out eight before his hit walk total — six — forced him from the game with two down in the sixth.

Kade Hemsley and Anderson combined to get the final four outs with just one run crossing the plate, securing a 5-4 victory.

Anderson was called upon with the tying run on second and the winning run at first to close things out. On just three pitches, the senior right-hander blew away Filer’s Kai Porter to slam the door and force a decisive game.

Less than an hour later, Anderson provided the momentum-swaying blast to put Marsh Valley ahead.

Holding an early lead, the Eagles never let up, scoring two runs in the second inning and adding four more in the third to create a comfortable lead for starter Denver Peterson.

Peterson was the third Marsh Valley starter to put up a stellar start and position the Eagles in position to win.

Pitching depth has been a huge perk this year for the Eagles — something they relied on this weekend and plan to rely on next weekend.

Howell agreed that having multiple reliable starters is always helpful when the playoffs come around.

“It’s huge,” he said. “Especially with the final four next week — it’s a true double. You’ve got to be able to dig deep, whether you’re in the winners bracket or the losers bracket.”

Marsh Valley’s top three starters, Whitworth, Sorensen and Peterson, each got a crack at the Wildcats, combining to pitch 18-2/3 innings while allowing 16 hits and seven earned runs, and striking out 26.

After holding Filer to six hits and four runs, three earned, in his 6 innings of work, Peterson gave way to Anderson, looking to finish a second game of the day. And much like he had done earlier, Anderson made quick work of the Wildcats, needing just 13 pitches for a perfect frame with a pair of strikeouts.

Offensively, the Eagles were led by Whitworth in the second game. The senior shortstop went 2-for-4 with one run scored and three RBIs, adding a stolen base to round out his complete performance. That was after he went 3-for-4 with two runs scored in game one of the Saturday doubleheader.

The Eagles head to the state tournament in search of a fourth title in the past two decades.

Reaching that goal, according to Howell, will require Marsh Valley to continue playing one game at a time, maximizing their ability while fighting for their teammates.

Asked how much pressure he felt heading to the mound for Saturday’s first game, Sorensen said frankly: “Zero pressure. I know my team’s got my back.”

He went on to say that the entire team will have to play with that in mind if the Eagles are to win another state championship, anything short of which Whitworth said earlier this season would be a failure for this group.