By Quint Turner

After a full week of rainouts last week, both the Mavericks and Warriors were anxious to play the annual rivalry game Friday. The two teams finally were able to meet on the more rain-ready turf at Mountlake Terrace High School, and the Warriors prevailed 6-4  in 8 innings. Bryce Mezich pitched the last two innings for E-W to pick up the win while Meadowdale’s Chris Osborne gave up two runs and got the loss. Torin Dooley started for the Mavericks while Ryan Budnick was the starting pitcher for E-W.

 The Warriors led off the game (technically a h0me game for the Mavericks since it was scheduled to be played at Meadowdale) by getting two outs. Then after Tate Budnick walked, brother Ryan Budnick hit a single to put runners on first and second. However, Patrick Bernard would fly out to end the inning.

Ryan Budnick retired the Maverick hitters 1-2-3 in the bottom of the first. E-W’s Mezich started the hitting in the second with a grounder that forced shortstop Matt Hirsch to dive for the ball. Hirsch came up with it, but his throw was just barely beaten out. Mac McLachlan grounded into a fielder’s choice, and Troy Rheinford walked right after, so it was runners at first and second with one out. Austin Holmes hit a single up the middle, and McLachlan was waved home. But center fielder Tyler McGuire pegged him at the plate to get the second out. Hull then grounded out to end the inning.

For the Mavs in the second, it started with back-to-back walks, but Hirsch was thrown out trying to steal third, and then a strikeout and a groundout followed to end the inning.

The third started fine for Dooley, as he got Ben Roquet to strike out. Then Tate Budnick hit a double, and Dooley walked Ryan Budnick and Bernard to load the bases. Billy Sullivan, a newcomer from New Jersey, came in to replace Dooley. Mezich came up and hit a single to score one run. Then McLachlan hit a fly ball to center field that was caught by McGuire, and he threw it to Hirsch, who got the ball to third baseman Tyler Ackerman. Ackerman put the tag on Bernard, who was trying to advance with everyone else, but not before Ryan Budnick scored. It was 2-0 Warriors going into the bottom of the third.

In his last inning of work for the Warriors, Ryan Budnick again downed the Mavs 1-2-3. Sullivan followed suit with the Warriors, and when the Mavs came up in the bottom of the fourth, Ackerman led off with a double off new E-W pitcher Jorgen Arnesen, then advanced on a balk the next at-bat. Osborne drew a walk to put runners on first and third with no outs. Hirsch did his job and hit a sac-fly to score Ackerman from third. Then Riley Bykonen was hit by a pitch on a 0-2 count to keep the rally going.

Grantland Over put the ball in play on a groundout to the pitcher that scored Osborne, who got to third on a wild pitch and the sacrifice fly. Chris Jenkins grounded out to end the inning, but the score was 2-2 going into the fifth.

Roquet hit a leadoff double to deep right field, and then Tate Budnick hit one immediately after, scoring Roquet. After that, Ryan Budnick popped out, Mezich struck out, and McLachlan grounded out to end the inning. The Warriors led 3-2.

After a leadoff pop-out in the bottom of the fifth, McGuire walked on a full count to get someone on base. Then Sam Herzer struck out. Ackerman followed up with a walk, then Osborne walked and so did Hirsch, scoring  a run to tie the game at 3. Chantz Justice came in to pitch for E-W, and got Bykonen to strike out on a full count, and it was 3-3 going to the sixth.

Ethan Coffey was the pitcher for the Mavs this inning, and he gave off a leadoff double to Rheinford. Then Holmes bunted him over, and Hull hit a line drive just past the diving third baseman to score Rheinford. Coffey came back to get Roquet to fly out and struck out Tate Budnick looking. The Warriors led 4-3 going into the bottom of the sixth.

The Mavs had a chance to tie after a leadoff single and stolen base by Over. Though Jenkins struck out, Brian Marty and McGuire both walked to load the bases. But the Mavs were unable to capitalize as Herzer struck out and Ackerman grounded out to end the inning.

Osborne came in to pitch against the Warriors in the seventh, and after a leadoff walk, he went through the lineup 1-2-3 to end the inning. Mezich came in to pitch for the Warriors, and he got Osborne and Hirsch to fly out, and the Mavs were down to their final out. But Byknonen walked on a full count, Over got a clutch base hit, and Jenkins was hit by a pitch to load the bases with Marty coming up. He walked on four pitches to bring in the tying run. Mezich bounced back and struck out McGuire looking to end the seventh, but the game was tied 4-4 and was going into extra innings.

 Rheinford started it off in the eighth with a walk, then advanced to second on a wild pitch. Holmes tried to sacrifice bunt him to third, but he hit such a good bunt that he also made it to first to get runners on the corners with no outs. Hull hit a slicing single just fair to drive in Rheinford. After Roquet struck out, Tate Budnick walked on four pitches, and Ryan Budnick walked to score another run for the Warriors. Bernard grounded out, and Mezich flew out to end the inning.

 Mezich shut the Mavs down 1-2-3 in the eighth, even after giving up a leadoff walk. He struck out Ackerman right after, and then Osborne hit a line drive that was snagged by the second baseman Hull, who then tossed it to first baseman Ryan Budnick to get a double play to end the game.

Sports correspondent Quint Turner is a sophomore at Meadowdale High School.