Marist baseball wins quarterfinal game for the first time in 18 years; advances to semis

Almost a year ago to the day, the Marist baseball team saw its season cut short in the 4A state quarterfinals to eventual state runner-up Pendleton.

This time around, the fourth-seeded Spartans (19-9) flipped the script in a 14-4 five inning mercy rule quarterfinals victory over the fifth-seeded Buckaroos (18-10) on Friday afternoon at Marist Catholic High School.

"It was a very rollercoaster game for me emotionally," Marist head coach Noah Breslaw said. "There was a lot of ups and downs. I don't think we played necessarily super clean, but we had some really great moments."

The victory has been a long time in the making for the Spartans, which had fallen short in the quarterfinals the last three straight seasons. Marist last won in the quarterfinals in 2006 in Class 3A.

Sophomore Gianni Lombardi went 3-for-4 with a double, three RBIs and scored three runs to lead the Spartans' offense.

Lombardi, who is in his first season on varsity, kept his approach at the plate simple.

"Feeling my hands, getting my hips open and just driving the ball," he said. "Not doing too much."

Senior Peyton Tyner added two hits, including a double, two RBIs and scored two runs, while junior Niko Leyba drove in three runs and was the winning pitcher for the Spartans.

Marist eliminates early nerves, erupts offensively

Breslaw felt the playoff nerves even before the Spartans threw the first pitch.

Part of the nerves was waiting for Tyner, the team's starting center fielder, who had showed up with 45 minutes to spare after playing his second match with doubles partner Andrew Forsyth in the tennis state tournament in Corvallis.

"I'm sitting here bundle of nerves waiting for him to come," Breslaw said. "Then he came, and I was like, 'OK, first hurdle avoided. He didn't get hurt and he's here on time.'"

But the nerves stayed with him throughout the game until the final out was recorded.

The Spartans ran into their second hurdle when Leyba walked three batters to load up the bases in the top of the first inning. He got out of the jam, striking out Tyler Hall in the next at bat to hold the Buckaroos at bay.

"I felt comfortable after that strikeout," Leyba said. "Just a sigh of relief."

Marist then erupted with five runs in the bottom of the first inning, starting with Aiden Hazen's single and Lombardi's double to give the Spartans a 3-0 lead. Ryan Lemley and Cash Andrus each drove in the next two runs on a grounder and single, respectively.

An RBI single from Colin Harrington in the top of the second inning cut the Buckaroos deficit to 5-2. Leyba again struck out the next batter, preventing the runner from scoring at third base.

Leading 6-2, Marist stacked on seven more runs off of Pendleton's miscues and two pitching changes in the bottom of the fourth innings. Tyner eventually lifted the Spartans to a 13-2 lead on a two-run laser shot that was just shy of a home run and ruled a ground rule double.

"We had great approaches at the plate," Tyner said. "Nobody was thinking about themselves. We were all thinking for the team, and everyone was hitting for the team."

Pendleton made a slight dent into the deficit, but the Spartans had the final say on Leyba's RBI single that set the 10-run mercy rule in the bottom of the fifth inning.

Pendleton scored four runs on five hits and made five errors. Harrington went 2-for-2 with an RBI and one run scored.

Marist will travel to Klamath Falls where they will face No. 1 Henley (28-1, 16,0 Skyline Conference) in the semifinals at 5 p.m. on Tuesday.

"I don't know a whole lot about Henley, actually," Breslaw said. "Being where they are located. So, I don't really know what to expect, but I do know we're in for a drive."

Where other Eugene-area softball and baseball teams stand in the playoffs

No. 2 Sheldon defeated No. 7 Sherwood, 4-1, in the 6A softball quarterfinals. The Irish will host No. 19 Tigard in the semifinals at 5 p.m. on Tuesday.

No. 2 Thurston defeated No. 7 Mountain View, 11-0, in the 5A baseball quarterfinals. The Colts will host No. 3 Ridgeview in the semifinals at 5 p.m. Tuesday.

No. 4 Pleasant Hill defeated No. 5 Sisters, 4-1, in the 3A baseball quarterfinals. The Billies will host No. 9 Brookings-Harbor in the semifinals at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday.

The No. 6 Harrisburg Eagles season came to an end in a 10-0 loss to No. 3 Yamhill-Carlton in the 3A softball quarterfinals.

The No. 6 Junction City Tigers season came to a close in a 4-3 loss to No. 3 Scappoose in the 4A baseball quarterfinals.

Edith Noriega is a sports reporter for The Register-Guard. You may reach her at ENoriega@gannett.com and follow her on X at @Noriega_Edith.

This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Marist and Thurston baseball, Sheldon softball advance to semifinals