Prep baseball: With 7 RBIs, Olsen slugs Northridge to 14-1 region win at Roy
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- Northridge teammates mob Jon Olsen, right of center, as they celebrate his three-run homer against Roy on Wednesday, April 24, 2024, in Roy.
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- Roy outfielder Jack Sorenson makes a leaping grab of a Northridge fly ball at the fence in the left-field corner on Wednesday, April 24, 2024, in Roy.
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- Northridge’s Jon Olsen (18) catches a ball to force out Roy’s Cade Gaskill (4) and start what would be a double play on Wednesday, April 24, 2024, in Roy.
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- Northridge’s Ryal Moon, left, avoids a tag from Roy’s Connor Robinson at third base during their game Wednesday, April 24, 2024, in Roy.
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- Roy outfielder Jack Sorenson leaps in an attempt to reach a bouncing ball against Northridge on Wednesday, April 24, 2024, in Roy.
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- Roy catcher Kohen Anderson bobbles a throw from the outfield as a Northridge runner scores on Wednesday, April 24, 2024, in Roy.
ROY — When Roy High reliever Cache Summers hit Northridge batter Tytan Redd with a pitch in the top of the sixth inning Wednesday to load the bases, the Royals had a problem.
Next up in the Northridge order was junior shortstop Jon Olsen, who already had a bases-loaded double and a three-run homer — but the Royals had to pitch to him with the bases juiced and no place to put him.
Olsen crushed his second two-RBI double of the game and the Knights run-ruled Roy in six innings, taking a 14-1 victory in a Region 5 rout.
He finished the afternoon hitting 3 for 4, scored three runs and drove in seven.
“I had my approach at the plate to do damage; my guys in front of me get on base and my appearance is to knock them in and that’s what I did,” Olsen said. “I was trying to get locked in on deck … they weren’t throwing too hard, they were throwing a little bit of junk, so I tried to sit on it and do what I could with it.”
Northridge (11-7, 3-5 Region 5) broke out of a tight 1-1 game with a six-run third inning to take a commanding 7-1 lead.
Olsen brought home the first two runs with a double, then scored on a two-run double by first baseman Ryan Small. The Knights batted around and rapped six hits in the inning.
Having the memory of an elephant, Olsen entered the box with two on in the fourth inning and slammed his three-run dinger — remembering a spectacular catch by Roy left fielder Jack Sorensen, who robbed him of an at-bat in the first inning.
“I hit one hard foul and the kid robbed me, so I wanted to just go get one because I needed to get them back,” Olsen said.
After a 12-10 loss to the Royals on Monday, Olsen and the Knights felt maybe a 10-1 lead wasn’t good enough, and he capped off his game with the double, keying a four-run sixth.
“They hit us hard on Monday; I saw the scoreboard and felt if we get one more here and hold them, we get out of it early,” Olsen said. “It was more of a team effort. Everyone did their job today.”
Benefitting from the outburst, Redd, the Northridge pitcher, did his part by throwing a six-inning, three-strike-out, three-walk complete game on just 71 pitches.
“My approach to the game today was throw first-pitch strikes. I’m pitching to contact; if I do that, it will keep my count down,” Redd said. “I know my team’s got my back; if they hit the ball and we make plays, we’ll keep the game short.”
Redd scattered four hits for the Knights. Three of Roy’s hits came from right fielder Sam Smith, who singled, doubled, tripled and scored the only Roy (4-15, 3-5) run.
Leadoff hitter Boston Wright had three hits and scored three runs for Northridge, and Small had three RBIs on his double and a sacrifice fly. The Knights banged 14 hits overall.
With a split in the two games thus far, the teams play the rubber match Friday, weather permitting.