Wolves win Game 1 behind Sanchez's three hits and save

Wolves win Game 1 behind Sanchez’s three hits and save

Newsome senior Isaiah Sanchez pumps his fist after driving an RBI single into centerfield to plate the game’s first run in the fourth inning. Sanchez was 3-for-3 at the plate and pitched 1 1/3 innings of relief to earn the save.

By Jarrett Guthrie, Editor

LITHIA – It took four innings, but Newsome was finally able to get timely hitting in the opening game of the Class 7A-Region 2 quarterfinals against district rival Strawberry Crest.

Sophomore Evan Plusquellic doubled to the wall in left field, Lincoln Jordy followed with a single, and one of three hits from Isaiah Sanchez knocked in the game’s first run as the Wolves bested the Chargers 2-0 in the first of a best-of-three series.

“After getting a hit on the fastball first pitch (in the second inning), I knew in my second at bat I probably wasn’t going to get another one,” Sanchez said. “So, I sat back on the off-speed and did what I needed to do.”

Our full photo gallery from this game – click here.

Nick Bradner would build on to the lead with a bloop single into shallow rightfield scoring Jordy, but the Chargers would pick up an out at the plate as Newsome tried to stretch the lead a little bit more.

Newsome’s Nick Bradner skies a pop fly single into shallow rightfield driving in a second run in the fourth inning.

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Strawberry Crest C Toby Highsmith waits on a throw home …

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… and then applies a tag on Isaiah Sanchez for an out at the plate.

But those two runs proved more than enough for a trio of Newsome pitchers, as timely hitting once again proved elusive for Strawberry Crest – shutout for the third-straight game and fourth time in the last six games.

“We had some opportunities – several of them actually,” Chargers coach Eric Beattie said. “We’ve got to get a run, man. That’s three games in a row, and honestly, we need to have guys who are going to fight for their team and we are still searching for that.”

Newsome senior RHP Aiden Dolan

Newsome (20-6) senior righty Aiden Dolan worked through three innings, but was pushed deep into counts. He walked one in the first, allowed a leadoff single to Nico Cappucci in the second (erased by a double-play started by second baseman Ocean Cozart), and had the first two reach in the third inning on a walk and a Saxon Shah single.

Strawberry Crest nine-hole hitter Saxon Shah had two of his team’s three hits.

But despite Toby Highsmith’s sac bunt moving both runners into scoring position with one out, Dolan fielded a comebacker and went home to prevent a run and then got a pop fly to end the threat and keep the game scoreless.

In counter, Strawberry Crest (18-8) senior Brisen Tweedy worked around two singles from Anthony DeVito and the first of three hits from Sanchez in his first three innings, before running into trouble in the fourth. Tweedy would leave after four innings, allowing both earned runs on seven hits, and had one strikeout.

Chargers senior RHP Brisen Tweedy

Wolves junior Robbie DiPietro took over on the mound in the fourth, retiring the Chargers in order, and was the recipient of his first win of the season thanks to the offensive production in the home-half. He worked around Shah’s second single, and picked up two outs in the sixth before walking a pair and turning things over to Sanchez.

Newsome junior Robbie DiPietro earned his first win of the season pitching 2 2/3 scoreless innings.

Shah, the Chargers nine-hole batter, had two of his team’s three hits and DiPietro said that although he and his teammates combined strikeout total was just five in the game, he felt that they attacked early in the count and kept Crest off-balance throughout the game – something he hopes they can duplicate on Thursday.

“We were just trying get ahead of them today. It was hot out there and I started to struggle a little bit there at the end,” DiPietro admitted. “But it feels great to come out with a win and we want to do everything to try and close it out tomorrow.”

Sanchez ended the sixth-inning threat with a strikeout, then battled around a walk and a hit batter in the seventh to finish off the game and earn the save.

Wolves senior RHP Isaiah Sanchez

After the game, Sanchez shared the credit with his fellow pitchers, and made sure to credit junior first baseman Trey Bosso, who on top of making some huge digs on defense, helped setup the Wolves second score with a sac bunt to move the runner into scoring position in the fourth.

“It feels really good to get a win (in Game 1),” Sanchez said. “Robbie did great coming out of the pen, Aiden did a good job holding runners on base, and some really good plays by Trey at first (base).”

Newsome 1B Trey Bosso with a big stretch for an out in the second inning.

Yusvanny Parra pitched two scoreless innings of relief for the Chargers, striking out one and allowing two hits; while Alec Chin had a single for the Wolves and JJ Shotwell scored a run as the speed-up for the catcher Plusquellic in the fourth.