Titans ‘kid’ around in win

University spotted Mead five early runs, but Titans youth was ultimately served in the first game of a two-day series between the Greater Spokane League’s second- and third-place baseball teams.

A pair of sophomores, Michael Holmes with his arm and Jacob Olsufka with his bat, helped as U-Hi (10-3) rallied to a 9-7 victory Thursday at Mead.

Holmes came on in relief of first-time starter (and fellow sophomore) Austin Peasley in the second inning and held the Panthers (8-5) scoreless into the sixth.

Olsufka hit a grand slam in the top of the sixth for an 8-5 lead. It was the first of his fledgling varsity career.

“Actually, it was the first one I’ve ever had go over a fence in a game,” said Olsufka, a middle infielder. “I was just looking fastball and I got one.”

Olsufka’s was the last of three on home run derby day at Mead.

The Panthers roughed up U-Hi rookie starter Peasley for four first-inning runs, including a three-run homer by junior catcher Sean McNaghten. They added another in the second.

Every nine batters Peasley faced hit the ball hard, including Kyle Cady, who lined out on a screamer to shortstop to open the game. After Nos. 8 and 9 hitters Grant Fink and Seth Peterson opened the second inning with singles, Holmes was summoned.

“He was the story of the game,” said Titans coach Scott Sutherland.

Combining a fastball and circle change, Holmes retired the first eight batters he faced, including another scorcher by Cady that resulted in a force. He worked his way out of jams in the fourth and fifth before giving way to Danny Jordan after loading the bases with no outs in the sixth.

“He’s been to war with us,” Sutherland said of Holmes. “He pitched all summer for us and pitched a bunch in the GSL already.”

But this was his first win after absorbing all three of U-Hi’s losses, two in late-inning relief early in the season against Shadle Park, the other, 4-2 to Gonzaga Prep in his only start.

The Titans used the long ball to get back into the game.

Their first two runs came on Brandon Shryock’s fourth-inning home run, also his first of the year.

“I was hitting them all the time in practice,” Shryock said. “It was about time I hit one in the game.”

U-Hi put up six runs in the sixth, taking advantage of a couple of critical Mead errors followed by a ringing Jordan double, a walk and Olsufka’s blast.

“I just told the guys to keep chipping away, you can’t get them back all at once,” said Sutherland.

Except that they almost did.

Mead cut the deficit with two runs in the sixth on a single by Matt Walsh off reliever Jordan. But he picked a runner off second and fanned another for the third out. Despite hitting two batters in the seventh, he closed the door for the comeback win.

“This was important because we were playing on someone else’s field,” said Sutherland. “And when you play doubleheaders, the first game can set the tone. We didn’t want to get routed and return home doubting ourselves.”

They didn’t and now have a two-game lead as the top 4A GSL team. The two teams go at it again today at U-Hi.

Elsewhere, in the start of another important series, Mark Purser hit a three-run homer in the third that spurred league leader Mt. Spokane (12-1) past Ferris 6-1. Purser finished 2 for 3 and drove in four runs. Pitcher Paul Smith earned his fifth win for the Wildcats and was also 2 for 3 with an RBI. Nic Fowler and Jordan Poynor added two hits apiece for Mt. Spokane. Shawn Stockton, Josh Yoshihara and Casey Hartsell had two hits apiece for the Saxons (7-6). … Shadle Park (6-7) continued its upward push as pitcher Ryan Shontell threw a complete-game two-hitter in a 10-0 six-inning victory over visiting Central Valley (7-8). Shontell helped his cause by knocking in three runs with two doubles. The Highlanders slugged five doubles, with Cameron Baker, Branden Hughes and Andrew Roginski each collecting two hits, including doubles. … North Central (7-8) got hits from all nine starters, eight of them for extra bases, in an 11-1 six-inning victory over visiting Rogers (5-8). Junior Evan Witt was 3 for 4. He doubled, tripled, drove in two runs and scored two more. Ryan Richardson was 2 for 2, tripled and had two RBIs, Ben Maxfield had two hits and tripled and Boone Plager homered. … Gonzaga Prep (6-9) piled up runs in the latter innings for an 11-3 victory at East Valley (4-9). Max Manix pitched five innings of shut-out ball, but it wasn’t until the fourth inning that the Bullpups got any breathing room. Kellen Webb was 2 for 4 with three RBIs, including a two-run, sixth-inning double. Anthony Via, Dave Kries and A.J. Perry added two hits apiece. Ryan Campbell doubled for the Knights. He and Trevor Slocum had two hits. … All the teams switch home fields and play each other today.