Washburn ‘PERFECT’ in masterful performance

Former Webster baseball Coach Rusty Helland said it best.

Owen Washburn celebrates Photo courtesy of Webster Baseball Facebook Page

“You don’t see that very often,” he said after Webster’s Owen Washburn pitched a 14-strikeout perfect game Thursday against Grantsburg.

Webster, now 8-0, defeated the Pirates 5-0 — but despite holding down the high-scoring Tigers, fell victim to the hard-throwing right-handed senior who is heading to the South Carolina Gamecocks in Division 1 Baseball next year.
Washburn, who was in control from start to finish, struck out the side twice, in the third and fifth innings, and only once retired the side with just one strikeout — and that was in the first inning.
Among the only balls hit off Washburn were seven that didn’t get out of the infield.
Washburn picked up his third win of the season, among three starts. He has not given up a run in those three games. In 19 innings pitched, he’s fanned 44 hitters without a single walk and just one wild pitch.
Webster, now 6-0 in conference play has a stranglehold on the lead. Grantsburg, 3-4 overall, is now 3-1 in conference action.
When it comes to offense, Washburn also has been johnny-on-the-spot for the Tigers. He was 3-4 against two Pirate pitchers, lefty starter Carson Knutson and reliever Sterling McKinley.
One was a double, he knocked in a run and scored twice.
For the season, Washburn is hitting .833 with 20 hits in 24 trips to the plate with 22 runs scored and 26 runs batted in.
He also has four doubles, a triple, and four home runs.
Webster scored its first run in the first on a Washburn single, then scored two runs in the third, one in the fifth, and Washburn scored the final run after doubling to lead off the sixth inning.
The Tigers had 14 hits, including three by first baseman Brady Madsen and two each by Carson Stenberg, Mason Gustafson, and Auston Sigfrids. It was Sigfrids double in the fifth that turned into a run on a single by Kayden Rossow.
But despite the fireworks off the bats of Webster’s first five hitters — they were 12 of 19 — this game belonged to Washburn.
A long rivalry with Grantsburg added to the suspense of the game. And certainly, Knutson and McKinley pitched well, with seven strikeouts between them. With the Pirates Carter Johnson turning in some solid play at first base and catcher Will Gerber blocking pitches behind the plate.
But it’s hard to win when the opposing pitching is not allowing base runners.
And to that effect, Owen Washburn was PERFECT.