Just about everything went right for the Falcon baseball team to pull out a 4-3 rally victory over the Cedar Park Christian Eagles on Friday.
South Whidbey trailed Cedar Park Christian 3-1 heading into the third inning of a crucial 1A Cascade Conference game. Junior leadoff batter Ricky Muzzy changed that when he blasted a two-run homer to tie the game. That shot injected some life into the Falcons (3-8 Cascade Conference, 4-9 overall) on defense, who were able to hold the Eagles scoreless the rest of the game. Muzzy hit a two-out RBI infield single for the go-ahead run before closing out the contest on the mound in relief.
“It feels like we’re starting to play Falcon baseball,” said Falcon head coach Tom Fallon. “We’re not making errors, hitting the ball better.”
Falcon sophomore Will Simms pitched himself into and out of a couple of close calls late in the game, Fallon said. In the fifth inning, the Eagles loaded the bases with no outs. But Simms and the Falcons were able to keep any of the runners from reaching home.
South Whidbey took a 1-0 lead in the first inning, but watched that slim advantage disappear as Cedar Park Christian jumped ahead 3-1.
In the third inning, Muzzy brought in senior Campbell Albertsen with a home run to tie the game.
After trading bouts of stranding runners in scoring position with Cedar Park Christian, South Whidbey made a two-out rally in the seventh. Austin Sterba hit a single, followed by walks from senior Trent Fallon and Albertsen. That set up Muzzy’s go-ahead RBI single up the middle that was scooped by the second baseman. Muzzy beat the throw, scoring Sterba.
In the bottom of the seventh inning, Muzzy relieved Simms on the mound and closed the game 4-3. The win also gave South Whidbey the three-game series lead as it continues a stretch of 1A games with postseason implications.
“There’s no slouch teams,” Fallon said. “Everybody’s competitive.”
South Whidbey found that out the hard way when Sultan came to Langley on Monday and won its first conference game of the season, 4-3.
Sultan led most of the game after taking a 3-1 advantage in the second inning. The Turks scored the deciding run in the fifth and held off the Falcons’ charge in the bottom of the inning when South Whidbey cut the lead with another run.
South Whidbey visits Sultan on Wednesday and returns to Langley Thursday to finish the three-game series. The Falcons also host the 2A Lynden Lyncs in a non-league game at 4 p.m. Friday, April 24.
