2007 Champs vs. 2008 Favorites 

Due to the preconfigured and unseeded OSAA 2A/1A bracket, #2 ranked Portland Christian met top-ranked Salem Academy in a quarterfinal match-up under the lights and on the turf at West Linn High School Friday night. Royals head coach Ryan Miller knew his young PC squad would face its biggest test against a Crusader club that has been ranked #1 all season. Salem Academy, the SD2 (TRC) champs, entered Friday’s game averaging 9.9 runs per game while featuring a lineup consisting of five 1^st team all-league players, including 2008 SD2 POY Tyler Montgomery. The Crusaders are guided by Steve Reed, the 2008 SD2 COY. The SAC juggernaut reached the quarterfinals with an impressive 21-3 overall record, with only one loss to a 2A school before Friday’s meeting with Portland Christian, the SD1 (NWL) #1 seed.

But the Royals had one factor in their favor that might balance out the Crusader’s superior record. “We have guys from last year who know how to get W’s in the playoffs,” said Miller after the game. Two of those players from the 2007 title team – sophomore Vance Downey and senior Greg Thompson – would lead the Royals closer to Keizer once again.

A Fast Start Sets the Pace 

Downey set the tone in the top of the first inning by fanning SAC’s Matt Rawlings for the first out of the game. After Montgomery flied out to left and Jordan Lane grounded into a 5-3 putout, Downey left the mound with a 1-2-3 inning.

The Royals leadoff hitter, senior Eric Tolleson, launched a Nick Souza pitch to the deepest part of the Lion’s ball park, just to the left of the electronic scoreboard in right center field. The speedy Tolleson looked to have an easy triple, and maybe an inside-the-park HR to lead off the game. But SAC center fielder Rawlings – a 1^st team SD2 pick – got a great jump on the ball, never broke stride and made a spectacular diving grab of Tolleson’s drive that easily would rank as an ESPN Sports Center Web Gem. Adding to the difficulty of the catch is the fact that Rawlings is a southpaw who had to cross his body with his glove hand while diving to his left. With one out, PC freshman John Church reached on a Souza fielding error. After Thompson popped up to 2nd for the second out, Royals freshman Keenan Rogers drew a walk, putting runners at 1^st and 2^nd with Downey at the plate. But the Royals’ pitcher failed to help himself as he struck out swinging on a full count with the runners moving.

In the top of the 2^nd inning, Downey got SAC cleanup hitter and 3^rd baseman Daniel Filipenko, another SD2 1^st team selection, on a grounder to 3^rd. Downey was not so lucky with Shane Johnson, SAC’s 1^st baseman and yet another SD2 1st team player. Johnson rocketed a Downey offering into the left field corner for a stand up double with one out. But Downey responded by catching Souza looking for a called 3^rd strike for the second out. Downey and the Royals looked to be out of the inning when Josh Breen grounded into an easy put-out, except PC’s Thompson muffed the catch at 1^st base for an error that sent Johnson to 3^rd base. Giving SAC four outs an inning is not a recipe for victory, but Downey met the challenge by striking out Craig Hoots on a 2-2 pitch.

PC Takes Early 2-0 Lead 

Portland Christian got on the scoreboard first in the bottom of the 2nd inning in a bizarre sequence of events. After PC’s Eric Lemieux lined out to Souza for the first out, the Royals’ Mike Rossi drew a walk. PC sophomore Ryan Harding then surprised the Crusaders with a perfectly executed push bunt between Souza and Filipenko for an infield single. With one out, PC’s No. 9 hitter Matt Larson apparently liked what he just saw and he, too, pushed a bunt to Souza’s right and beat the pitcher’s throw to 1^st for another infield single. With bases loaded and one out, Tolleson launched a deep sacrifice fly to the left-center field warning track that was caught by Rawlings for the second out, scoring Rossi for the first run. Rawling’s throw to the infield was cut off by Koki Kashima, the SAC shortstop, who fired to second base in an attempt to nail Larson advancing from first. But Kashima's throw sailed into right field, scoring Harding on the error. With two runs scored and two outs, Salem Academy then made a dead ball appeal to first base, claiming that Larson failed to tag up when advancing from first to second after Rawling’s catch. First base umpire Jeff Taylor-Webb signaled Larson was out on the appeal for the third out. The three-man umpire crew then huddled to discuss whether either or both runs would count. The umpires ruled both runs counted because the runs scored before Larson was called out on appeal, which is considered a timing play and not a force out.

Regarding appeals on a tag up, NFHS Rule 8-2-6(h) says: “If the appeal is the third out, all runs scored by runners in advance of the appealed runner and scored ahead of the legal appeal would count.” PC led SAC, 2-0, after two innings.

SAC Strikes Back, 2-1 

Downey and Souza each put down their opponents in order in the 3^rd inning. In the top of the 4^th inning, SAC’s Jordan Lane led off with a grounder to short that Tolleson mishandled for an error. Next up was clean-up slugger Filipenko, who just got under a Downey fastball, sending a high popup to deep second base. Despite having plenty of time to track the mortar shot, it was soon clear that PC’s Harding was turning this catch attempt into an adventure. Sure enough, eventually Filipenko’s popup fell untouched back to earth, catching Lane in no man’s land between 1^st and 2^nd base. Fortunately for the Royals, right fielder Mike Rossi was there to pick up the ball and toss it to second for the force play. Unfortunately, Rossi’s toss nearly sailed over Tolleson, who had to leap high for the catch and come down on the bag just ahead of Lane’s arrival. What should have been a caught infield popup turned into a nearly botched force play that drew the ire of SAC head coach Reed, who argued unsuccessfully that Lane beat the throw to 2^nd base.

That play and call turned out to be crucial because Shane Johnson followed with his second double of the game – again into the left field corner – scoring Filipenko from 1^st base and cutting PC’s lead to 2-1. Souza then lined out to Downey for the second out. But Downey promptly hit Josh Breen with a pitch, putting runners at 1st and 2^nd with two out. That brought up Hoots once again with a runner in scoring position. As he did two innings earlier, Downey struck out Hoots, this time on a full count, to end the inning and the Crusader rally. Souza shut out the Royals in the bottom of the 4^th inning, leaving the score 2-1 in the Royals' favor.

Two Pitches = Three Outs 

In the top of the 5^th inning, Downey walked the No. 9 hitter, much to Coach Miller’s dismay. SAC quickly took advantage of the gift when lefty leadoff hitter Rawlings showed the Royals his own version of small ball with a perfect push bunt that Downey fielded too late to get Rawlings at 1^st. The Crusaders, who had just cut the Royals lead to 2-1 the previous inning, now had runners at 1^st and 2^nd with no outs and their No. 2 hitter and SD2 POY Tyler Montgomery at the plate. A sacrifice bunt would have given SAC two runners in scoring position with Lane-Filipenko-Johnson licking their chops. But Montgomery did not bunt. Instead the lefty swung at Downey’s first pitch, sending a sharp ground ball to SS Tolleson, who scooped up the grounder, stepped on 2^nd for the force out, and tossed out Montgomery for the easy double play. With Cooper now at 3^rd, Lane stepped into the box with a chance to tie the score. But like Montgomery before him, Lane eagerly swung at the first pitch he saw, which resulted in a 5-3 groundout to end the inning. Faced with two runners on and no outs, Downey managed to get three outs on two pitches and the Royals’ fan base responded accordingly. PC’s tenuous 2-1 lead was still hanging by a thread.

Thompson's Blast 

In the bottom of the 5^th inning, Tolleson worked Souza to a full count before drawing a walk. John Church also worked Souza to a full count before taking a called third strike, but not before Tolleson had stolen 2^nd base. That brought up PC’s Greg Thompson, who had the distinction in 2007 as the only player in all classifications to hit a home run out of Volcanoes Stadium in the five championship games played at the professional ball park last June. Badly needing an insurance run – or two – Thompson worked Souza to a 3-1 count before sending the next pitch deep to right field. “I knew it was over [the RF’s] head, but I thought it might one-hop the fence,” said the Royals slugger, who will play baseball next year at Redding, California’s Simpson College. “But then I heard the crowd cheering and saw the umpire signaling home run. That was great.” Once again, Thompson came through with a big-time homer in an OSAA playoff game. Though Souza fanned Rogers and Downey to end the inning, Thompson’s blast had sealed SAC’s fate.

With his Royals leading 4-1, Downey put down the Crusaders in order in the 6^th inning. In its half of the inning Portland Christian failed to score again, but it didn’t matter. The Royals could not get on the field fast enough to start the 7^th inning with Downey facing the bottom of the Crusader lineup. Josh Breen looked at a called 3^rd strike for the first out. Hoots finally put the ball in play, sending a sharp grounder to Tolleson, whose throw to 1^st base notched the second out. With the final out of the game and his season at hand, SAC coach Reed sent senior pinch hitter Cory Thomas to the plate. Downey quickly got ahead 0-2 and appeared to have caught Thomas looking at strike three, which the plate umpire graciously called a ball, giving Thomas another chance. Downey followed with a shoulder-high fastball that Thomas swung at and missed, ending the game and SAC’s otherwise spectacular season.

Laying Elgin Eggs 

In his post-game talk to his players, Coach Miller told his Royals (19-7) that they had just defeated the #1 team in the state and are one game away from Keizer once again. Miller also had nothing but praise for Downey, who struck out nine Crusaders, while needing only 84 pitches to finish the job. “But if we go out to Elgin and lay an egg, then this [win] will mean nothing.” Miller’s reference was to the Royals upcoming semifinal rode trip to Wallowa country, where they will face Elgin. The 21-2 Huskies have won their last 12 games and have scored 286 runs while giving up only 74 all season. Those numbers are better than SAC’s and much better than Portland Christian’s season stats. But Friday night’s game belonged not to the team with the best record or statistics, but to the team that played in last year’s championship game and is striving to do it again.