Coming into Friday evening’s contest at Owen High School, Polk head coach Ty Stott’s squad knew what was at stake. At the end of the night, only one team would stand alone atop the Western Highlands conference race. The Wolverines, averaging 11 runs per game in the first eight games of the season, hoped their prowess at the plate would help raise them to the summit.
Polk struck early, touching up Owen starter JD Chaplain for four runs in the first inning and two more in the second. Tyler Philpott led the way with an RBI single in the first and a two-run homer in the second. The Polk hit machine once again seemed to be on cruise control.
However, the Warhorses, a team with eight players batting over .300, had other ideas, and struck back in the bottom of the third, notching four runs to narrow the margin to 6-4. Unimpressed, the Wolverines countered with four more runs in the top of the fourth to again widen the gap to a six-run lead.
Owen was down but not out, and after posting two more runs in the bottom of the fifth, the Warhorses galloped back for four runs in the bottom of the sixth to tie the score at 10-10 going into the final frame.
With the stage set for a dramatic finish, the Wolverines came to the plate in the top of the seventh to face Owen closer Thomas Brown. Pitching to the top of a very potent Polk County batting order, Brown proceeded to strike out three of the four batters he faced, sending the Warhorses to the plate in the bottom of the seventh with the score still knotted at 10.
Owen’s Kaleb Fowler led off the bottom of the seventh with a base hit, and with one out, Brandon Spivey walked to put runners at first and second. After Jordan Brown’s deep fly out to center field moved the runners ahead to second and third, Dylan Hensley stepped up to the plate and lashed a two-out double to left center, driving home Fowler for the game-winning run.
Brown earned the victory for Owen, while Alec Philpott lost his first game of the year for the Wolverines, falling to 3-1. With the loss, Polk falls to 7-2 on the season, and second place in the Western Highlands conference with a 4-1 record.