Cole Griffith, North Linn prevail in district baseball pitchers’ duel against East Buchanan

TROY MILLS — The original plan was for Cole Griffith to be a closer again.

The North Linn junior has long proven adept at preventing opposing baserunners from scoring while utilizing an array of pitches to secure late leads.

But when North Linn pitching ace Mason Bechen was sidelined a week before the season-opening game with shoulder inflammation, the Lynx looked to Griffith to take his place.

Griffith has been equally as dominant in his new role.

“A lot of people had to step up this year,” Griffith said after tossing six shutout innings in North Linn’s 1-0 win over East Buchanan in a Class 1A prep baseball district final Saturday night at North Linn High School. “We had a couple of young people, a junior, step up. Mason Zimmerman. (Freshman) Waylon Raue had to step up. So we all just stepped up a little bit. I think it helps us.”

In what figured to be a pitchers’ duel against East Buchanan freshman Brady Van Scoyoc – who entered the district final with an 8-1 record and an earned run average of 1.59 – Griffith responded. The lefty allowed just two hits, hit two batters, walked one intentionally and struck out seven.

Griffith’s earned run average is now a miniscule 0.86.

“We had the curveball going early,” Griffith said. “Our defense was playing good. We didn’t know what we would get right away, especially with a young outfield and young infield. But they played fine. … Just executing was a big thing tonight. We knew we had to get our bunts down. We knew it was going to be a close game.”

In the first game of the season May 20, Griffith started on the mound and allowed four earned runs in an 11-2 loss to Alburnett. In seven starts since, he has allowed a total of just two earned runs and won all seven decisions.

“He did a really good job all season,” said North Linn Coach Travis Griffith, Cole’s father. “Just got stronger and stronger and stronger. … He has been absolutely on fire. He has just kind of taken over the mentality of, ‘I am the ace.’”

Bechen provided North Linn (23-8) with the lone run of the game in the bottom of the fifth inning when his sacrifice fly to center field scored Braden Wheatley from third base. One pitch earlier, Bechen’s squeeze bunt attempt dribbled foul.

“Today, pretty much all I saw were curveballs,” Bechen said. “Going into that at-bat, I kind of knew that we had the squeeze opportunity and I didn’t get that one down. I was kind of mad at myself, but I knew I had to come up clutch in that situation. I saw a curve ball, pretty much just poked my bat at it knowing that I just had to get it pretty far in the outfield and we would score a run.”

More good news arrived for Bechen in the seventh inning as he returned to the pitcher’s mound for the first time this season. He retired all three East Buchanan batters, including the final two by strikeout.

“It felt really good,” Bechen said. “Not pitching for two months and then coming back out and pitching, doing what I love, is just the best thing ever.”

Van Scoyoc (8-2) allowed one run and three hits in 5 1/3 innings pitched for East Buchanan, which ends its season at 15-9.

The win moves North Linn into Tuesday’s 1A substate final against No. 7 Wapsie Valley (32-7) at Independence. Wapsie Valley routed the Lynx, 10-0, over a month ago. Should North Linn flip the outcome in the rematch, it would advance to the state tournament for the seventh time in 10 years.

With Griffith unavailable to pitch, Bechen may indeed get the start on the mound.

“I told the kids, ‘Let’s just come ready to play,’” Coach Griffith said. “We’re the underdog for once, which we’re not used to. We kind of like that role. I think we’ll be ready.”