The stage was set for an upset.
Union’s baseball team trailed by eight runs midway through Friday’s game against Heritage.
Yes, the first-place team in the 4A Greater St. Helens League was getting smoked by the team at the bottom of the standings.
But Union rallied. The Titans completed the comeback with four runs in bottom of the seventh to win 9-8.
“This is huge for us to be in that situation and know that we can come back” Union coach Ben McGrew said.
Heritage’s Trevor Wharton drove in four runs, including a two-run double in a five-run fourth inning.
But the Titans struck back with five of their own in the bottom of the fourth. Cody Hawken’s leadoff home run helped turn the momentum.
“That really got us believing,” McGrew said of Hawken’s home run. “The energy in the dugout really changed after that.”
Union’s first four batters reached base in the seventh inning thanks to three singles and an error. RBI singles by Tanner Myers and Brady Whalen pulled Union even with one out.
Jacob Allbee ended the game with a two-out, bases-loaded single.
McGrew said Union (9-1) wasn’t looking past Heritage (1-9).
“Two of toughest games we’ve played have been against Heritage,” he said. “They’re two or three outs away from being 2-0 against us.”
• Eli Whitmire, Woodland boys track and field, set a school record in winning the 100 meters by 0.34 seconds, finishing in 10.90 seconds at the John Ingram Twilight. Whitmire also won the long jump (21-2½) to help the Woodland boys edge Columbia River 97-94.5 to win the team title.
• Ellie Walker, Columbia River girls track and field, won the 100 hurdles (15.13) by more than a second and the 300 hurdles (47.45) by more than 1.5 seconds to help Columbia River outdistance Kelso for the team title at the John Ingram Twilight meet.
• Bayleigh Snaric, Heritage softball, drove in both runs for her team in the first inning and pitched a five-hitter with six strikeouts in a 2-1 win over Battle Ground.
• Anthony Grande, Hudson’s Bay baseball, allowed four hits and struck out seven over six innings of Bay’s 11-1 win over Washougal. Also went 2 for 2 with two doubles and three runs.
• Thomas Martin, King’s Way baseball, went 2 for 4 with a run and three RBI in a win over La Center.
• Jace McKinney, Columbia River baseball, was 3 for 4 with two doubles and three RBI in the Chieftains beat Black Hills 14-4.
• Liam Fitzpatrick, Camas baseball, went 2 for 4 with a double and a home run in the Papermakers’ 9-2 win over Skyview.
• Joshua Tully, King’s Way Christian baseball, went 2 for 2 with two runs in the Knight’s 14-3 win over La Center.
• Dylin Baker, Woodland baseball, went 2 for 4 with two runs and five RBI in the Beavers’ 17-1 over Mark Morris.
• Jared Berg and Abdul El-Hoot, Mountain View boys soccer, teamed up for two goals with El-Hoot assisting Berg in the Thunder’s 4-1 win over Heritage.
