Baker readies for Newport

A year ago Newport won the Class 4A state baseball championship. Friday, Baker hopes to make the Cubs just another notch on the Bulldogs’ list of victories.

Baker and Newport will square off in a 4A quarterfinal contest Friday at 3:30 p.m. at the Baker Sports Complex. Baker (23-3) enters the game coming off a 12-2 win over Douglas. Newport (16-7-1) advances after edging Scappoose 13-9.

“We just have to keep doing what we’ve done all year,” said Baker coach Dan Blankenship. “Play good defense, and throw strikes. If we can do that we can create a lot of outs for ourselves.

“And the boys have hit the ball well. If the boys continue to do that we’ll win a lot of games.”

Baker has averaged nearly 10 runs a game.

Against Douglas, Baker did not strike out once.

“We put the ball in play,” Blankenship said. “It was nice for some of our younger kids to get their feet wet. It was nice to get that first game under our belts.

“Even when we fell behind 1-0 everybody held their composure very well,” Blankenship said. “These kids all believe in each other.”

Blankenship plans to use mostly the same lineup he has used all season despite having to mix and match players at times due to injuries and illness.

Catcher Grant Marcum (3 homers, 14 RBIs) will lead off. Cole Brown (4 HR, 24 RBI) will bat second and pitch.

Derek Blankenship (3 HR, 36 RBI) will hit third and play shortstop. He will be followed by first baseman Dekker Smith (8 HR, 33 RBI).

Jordan Harlow (7 HR, 46 RBI) will bat fifth and play second base. Trace Richardson (6 HR, 30 RBI) bats sixth in center field. Jon Woolard (1 HR, 14 RBI) bats seventh in right field.

Will Barr (1 HR, 12 RBI) plays third base and bats eighth. The ninth slot will be either Alex Clark, Stephen Talbot or Coleman Lay.

Blankenship and Harlow were recently named first-team all-state infielders. Brown was named third-team pitcher, Marcum third-team catcher, and Smith third-team utility player.

“We just have to believe we’re going to hit anybody they put on the mound,” Coach Blankenship said.

“Cole Brown (6-3) will start on the mound for us, and Derek (Blankenship) (3-0, 1 save) will pitch some too.

“I don’t think either kid threw as well as they can against Douglas,” the Baker coach said. “They were too fresh with the long layoff before that game. That won’t happen Friday.”

Newport is a different team

Newport is not the same team it was a year ago.

“We’ve seen them three times, and they’re not as deep as they were last year. They have just three seniors on their roster,” Blankenship said.

In the Cubs win over Scappoose the two teams combined for 22 walks, 10 by Newport pitchers.

Tristan Metcalf started that game for the Cubs and didn’t get out of the first inning. Cody Dordan came in in relief and threw the rest of the game.

“Dordan threw a lot of pitches against Scappoose,” Blankenship said. “It’s hard to tell what he might have left after going seven innings.”

Dordan (10-2 with an earned-run average under 2) is a first-team all-state pitcher. Metcalf was named a first-team all-state infielder.

“Dordan is a quality kid,” Blankenship said. “But I think they’ll make some mistakes if we can put the ball in play.”

The winner of Friday’s game advances to the 4A semifinals Tuesday.