Led by Chris Duffield and his 12 strikeouts, the Woodland High School varsity baseball team hung on tight and took the first game of a three-game series over crosstown and Golden Empire League rivals Pioneer High School by the score of 2-0.
Both teams came into the series’ first game Tuesday evening in great form and at the top of the league standings for a series that was initially set to begin two weeks ago but was postponed due to rain.
Woodland, who improved to 5-2 overall, came into the game on a four-game winning streak in the league that began with a three-game sweep over Rio Linda in mid-March, where they outscored the Knights 33-5. They then enjoyed a slim 4-2 win over Dixon this past Friday.
Offensively, Carter Imbach led the way for the Wolves against the Rams with two hits and an RBI, while Derrick Fisher and Aidan Olsen also had two hits. On the mound, with only one game that week, the Wovles handed the ball to their two aces, Austin Stapleton and Chris Duffield.
Stapleton started the game and threw six innings, only allowing one hit and two unearned runs while striking out six batters. Duffield came in for the save in the seventh inning and gave up just one hit.
The Patriots, who fell to 4-2, came in with a similar record as the Wolves and on their own three-game winning streak in the league, with massive 14-0 and 11-1 wins over Mesa Verde and an emphatic 15-0 five-inning mercy rule win over in their only game last week over Mira Loma on Friday.
Fresh and in form, both teams also trotted out their respective aces in Duffield, and Carson Timothy, who started for the Patriots.
Both pitchers had it going for the first three innings as they mowed their way through each other’s lineups.
While Timothy blinked first by balking in the first run for Woodland in the top of the fourth, he was still on his game and fished the night going all seven innings, only allowing five hits and keeping the Wolves from getting into a groove on offense.
Unfortunately for Timothy, the one run is all the Wolves would need.
“Carson overpowers you,” said Wolves head coach Danny Eoff. “He has great command of that hard fastball. You try to make adjustments, and then he brings that slider out at the perfect time. We only had five hits, so it goes to show you that he was missing our bats.”
In the bottom of the fifth inning, Duffield found himself in the biggest jam he’s likely been in all season. After Ryan Pearson moved over Landon Dahler to third and Timothy to second base on a fielder’s choice, Pioneer had a chance to tie or take the lead.
Duffield, however, remained calm and composed enought to strike out the Patriot batter and get out of the inning unscathed. Duffield emphatically left the mound as he celebrated with his catcher Imabach.
In the top of the seventh inning, Woodland earned an insurance run after a pick-off attempt got the runner on first base out but allowed the Wolves Olsen, who was at third base, to time his run and scamper home for the second run of the night.
“If you want to go deep in the playoffs, you have to find a way,” said Wolves head coach Danny Eoff. “Thats a Division 1 arm over there in Carson. We had to scratch out these runs by forcing a balk, getting into rundowns, and laying down sacrifice bunts. The team stayed with the same positive energy from the first inning to the seventh.”
In the bottom of the seventh, Duffield slammed the door shut, inducing a double play with a runner on first to end the game. He finished the game with 12 strikeouts, two walks, and only four hits allowed. So far this season, Duffield has been a revelation for the Wolves, with 33 strikeouts in 18 innings.
“They (Pioneer) are really good at hitting,” Duffield said postgame. “But I kept my composure and kept doing what I do, and good things happen when I do that. I felt really good in this game. My slider was working, and my fastball was tailing. Everything was going well. Confidence is everything to me, and today was amazing.”
Next is game two of the three-game series set for Thursday at 4:15 p.m. at Clark Field. The final game will be on Friday at 4:15 p.m. at Pioneer High School, pending the forecasted rain.
“I’m looking forward to the rematch,” Eoff said. “It’s going to be a playoff atmosphere for game two. We’ll have a big crowd there, and the sun will be out. I’m glad to be back out on the field.”
