Polk County missed an initial opportunity Friday to walk off with a win against Owen.
The Wolverines didn’t waste a second such chance.
Polk rallied from one-run deficits in both the seventh and eighth innings, finally claiming a 4-3 victory over the Warhorses in a Western Highlands Conference tussle at The Bottoms.
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Owen (1-5, 0-2) pushed across a run in the top of the eighth to take a 3-2 lead. But Matt Jarrett singled to open the seventh, then scored on Gunnar Alm’s double to right. Alm moved to third on the throw to the plate.
Noah Harden was hit by a pitch, then stole second. With one out and Nate Fagan at the plate, a wild pitch bounced to the backstop, allowing Alm to race home and slide headfirst to beat the throw and win the game.
The story of the night for the Wolverines (5-3, 2-0) may well have been the pitching of Alex Perry. The senior tossed seven innings, allowing just three hits while striking out six. Both runs he allowed were unearned.
Polk took a 1-0 lead in the first on Fagan’s two-out RBI single. The Wolverines held that lead until the top of the sixth, when a walk, error and sacrifice fly allowed Owen to push across two runs and snare a 2-1 lead.
The Warhorses remained in front when Perry singled and Fagan walked to open the bottom of the seventh. Freshman catcher Gavin Waldbillig then singled to drive home Perry with the tying run. The Wolverines went on to load the bases with no outs, but Owen’s Hayden Burpeau struck out the next three batters to keep the score tied and send the game to extra innings.
Fagan earned the win in relief, pitching the top of the eighth. He also finished 1-for-3 with a run and RBI. Cooper Meyer and Aaden Denton each had two hits while Alm, Harden, Perry, Aaron Jackson and Jarrett each had one.
Polk County is slated to return to action on Tuesday, hosting Mitchell.
