| Batting was not as strong a point as normal for the Vikings as they had six hits but only two runs to show for it. |
It’s tough to sail across a stormy sea in a small boat with lots of leaks.
Just ask the East Carbon baseball team. They had a good ship; stout, strong and consistent most of the year. But in a game that was do or die, the leaks sprang up all over the place as the team committed four errors and lost to the Wayne Badgers 12-2 in a fashion they had administered to many teams themselves this season; they were 10 runned in five innings.
“The scorekeeper was kind to us,” said baseball coach Todd McFarland on Monday morning. “We had more errors than that.”
The East Carbon team had been highly regarded all season with many expecting them to go all the way. But between the errors and the energy they must have left at the bus stop in Sunnyside, they were soundly beat by a team they had easily defeated earlier in the season.
“We didn’t bring a very good game to Orem with us,” stated McFarland. “We beat Wayne easily early in the year and that may have been our undoing. They got better and we apparently didn’t.”
The only consolation East Carbon can take from the game was that Wayne went on to beat Waterford on Saturday 11-4.
But what they can’t take away and feel good with was their game on this important day and the fact that this is the fourth time in four years that the Viking baseball team has been eliminated in the first round of the state tournament.
| Third baseman Bryant Bridge looks for the ball as a Wayne High School player comes into his base. |
Wayne hammered East Carbons pitching right from the beginning. They were up 3-1 after the first inning and then went up two more in the second while holding the Viking scoreless.
East Carbon gained a little ground in the third when they put one across the plate while keeping the Badgers scoreless but then the Badger’s got tough on defense and never allowed another Viking score. As for themselves they put one more across in the fourth and then banged out six runs in the fifth inning, thereby eliminating the Vikings chances for a comeback.
“We had people missing balls and balls going between players legs,” said McFarland. “Players who usually bat well didn’t. There was just no energy.”
The team will return most of the players next year, but sorely missed will be Seniors Tony McFarland and Austin Preston, both starting pitchers and stalwarts on the team.
McFarland will certainly be on the all-state team when it is released, but he hoped in his senior year to be most valuable player in the state. Most projected him for that position. but now it will probably go to a Wayne High School athlete.
The younger McFarland went 2-3 in the game and junior Andy Farliano had some good hits. Otherwise things seemed pretty dismal.
As a team the Vikings had six hits. Wayne had 12 hits and only committed one error.
“It was a very successful season for the most part,” said the coach, “But in the end it was disappointing.