South Whidbey sent a message to the North Cascades Conference Tuesday. The message was this: Don’t let up on the Falcons in the late innings.
Down by one in the sixth inning, the Falcons lit up the Mountaineer defense for five runs, then shut them down after allowing one run in the seventh to win their home opener 10-7 in front of a home crowd.
The game was the second come-from-behind victory for the team in two games — last week, they beat Anacortes 5-4 in the seventh inning.
Down 6-2 going into the fifth inning, South Whidbey needed a break. They got it when a throwing error by Mount Baker sent Michael Lodell home to take the game to 6-3.
Then, senior Josh Coleman made it sting for the Mountaineers. With Dane Guetlin on first, Coleman put some muscle on the ball and sent it over the outfield fence for the team’s first homer of the year.
Still trailing, the South Whidbey boys needed more in the sixth, and they got it. After a lead off base hit by Andrew Mathis, and an error and a defensive botch on a sacrifice bunt play by the Mountaineers, the Falcons had the bases loaded. Lodell came back to the plate to single and send home one runner to tie the game. Danny Mulcahy won the game with a single that drove home two more runners.
On the mound, senior Bryan Wenker kept the Mount Baker offense to a dull roar for five innings before turning the ball over to Coleman, who finished the game by allowing only one run. Wenker struck out 10 hitters, while Coleman had 4 Ks. The win went to Coleman, his second this season.
On offense, Mulcahy wound up leading the day with three RBIs, while Wenker was 2-for-4 with a double. Coleman and Lodell each picked up two RBIs on the day.
The now 2-0 Falcons’ scheduled game against Mount Baker Thursday was cancelled. South Whidbey hosts Burlington at noon Saturday, a change from the team’s original schedule.