Taft falls in showdown of state’s top-ranked baseball teams

Jacub McCollum hit a second-inning home run to lead an 11-hit attack that helped power No. 1-ranked Brookings-Harbor past No. 2 Taft 11-4 Saturday in a battle of the state’s top-rated Class 3A baseball teams.

The Bruins used four extra-base hits, eight walks and three hit batters against four Taft pitchers, putting the game away with a five-run seventh inning at the Pit.

“They threw a pretty good pitcher at us, the best we have seen this year and the best some of our kids have seen so far,” Taft coach Matt Hilgers said. “We put some good swings on the ball . . . some of them didn’t fall and some did. We gave them too many free passes, though. Eleven walks and hit batters is too many free passes.”

Taft scored a run in the first before Brookings-Harbor tallied two in the second, three in the fourth and one in the fifth for a 6-1 lead before the Tigers answered with three in the bottom of the sixth.

“We played a game very similar to our game on Thursday,” Hilgers said of an 11-3 home win over Yamhill-Carlton. “We came out with a lot of energy and ready to battle. After the first few innings, though, we had a bit of a lapse and didn’t do much again until the sixth.”

Senior outfielder Tyee Fisher had two hits, including a double, and drove in three runs to lead Taft at the plate. Senior Bleiz Kimbrough drove in the Tigers’ other run.

Fisher’s younger cousin, Trenton, also had two of Taft’s six hits. Senior Cody Knott scored twice for the Tigers, and Tyee Fisher and junior Jordan Hall once each.

Kimbrough, Hall and Knott relieved senior starter Kam Kessler, who went four innings for Taft.

Adam Shew, Roman Worthey and Andrew Burger had two hits each for the Bruins, who stranded 11 runners, while Jon Kleespies and Shew drove in two runs apiece. Manny Zamora scored three times, and Brig Schofield and Shew twice each.

The Special District 4 member Bruins, who combine students from the port communities of Brookings and Harbor, improved to 5-0 with the win.

Special District 2 member Taft fell to 2-2.

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Taft returns to the diamond Tuesday at noon against defending State champion La Pine at Davidson Field in Prineville. The Hawks eliminated the top-seeded Tigers from the Class 3A State playoffs last season with an 8-6 win in the semifinals.

“We need to get better at throwing strikes and working ahead in the count,” Hilgers said. “We will continue to get better every day.”

Brookings-Harbor 11, Taft 4

BROOKINGS-HARBOR     AB  R  H BI  TAFT              AB  R  H BI
Payton Armentrout     1  0  1  1  Darius Smith       3  0  0  0  
 Jason DeShon         2  0  0  0  Jordan Hall        3  1  0  0  
Adam Shew             3  2  2  2  Cody Knott         3  2  1  0  
Roman Worthey         4  1  2  1  Kam Kessler        3  0  1  0  
Jon Kleespies         3  1  1  2  Tyee Fisher        3  1  2  3  
Jason Vanginderen     5  0  0  0  Trenton Fisher     3  0  2  0  
Andrew Burger         4  1  2  1  Bleiz Kimbrough    2  0  0  1  
Jacub McCollum        5  1  1  1  Kaden Hindman      3  0  0  0  
Brig Schofield        2  2  1  0  Lucas Hindman      2  0  0  0  
Manny Zamora          2  3  1  0   FCO Ramos         1  0  0  0  
TOTALS               31 11 11  8  TOTALS            26  4  6  4

BROOKINGS HARBOR              020 310 5 -- 11 
TAFT                          100 003 0 --  4  

LOB--Brookimgs Harbor 11, Taft 4. E--Payton
Armentrout, Brig Schofield, Darius Smith. 2B--Andrew Burger,
Roman Worthey, Jon Kleespies, Tyee Fisher, Cody Knott.
HR--Jacub McCollum. HBP--Roman Worthey, Jon Kleespies, Adam
Shew. SACF--Bleiz Kimbrough. SACB--Jason DeShon. SB--Manny
Zamora, Payton Armentrout (2), Jon Kleespies, Darius Smith.

 BROOKINGS HARBOR              IP    H    R   ER   BB   SO   HR
Adam Shew (W)                5.33    5    4    3    2    8    0
Roman Worthey                1.67    1    0    0    0    1    0
 TAFT                  
Kam Kessler (L)              4.00    4    5    5    5    1    1
Bleiz Kimbrough              1.00    4    1    1    0    0    0
Jordan Hall                  1.00    0    2    2    3    0    0
Cody Knott                   1.00    3    3    3    0    1    0

WP--Kam Kessler (3), Cody Knott. BALK--Cody Knott. SO--Jacub
McCollum, Brig Schofield, Tyee Fisher, Kam Kessler, Bleiz
Kimbrough, FCO Ramos, Kaden Hindman, Jordan Hall (2), Darius
Smith (2). BB--Manny Zamora (2), Andrew Burger, Payton
Armentrout, Brig Schofield (2), Jon Kleespies, Adam Shew,
Jordan Hall, Darius Smith.