It’s a good thing Dekker Smith plays linebacker on the Baker High School football team. He needed those skills to score the winning run for the Team Rudi Diamondbacks Friday at the Team Rudi Wood Bat baseball tournament atthe Baker Sports Complex.

Trailing Orofino, Idaho, 2-1 in the bottom of the fifth with two outs and Stephen Talbot on third base, Smith hit what appeared to be a routine grounder to second base.

But, when second baseman Dylan Midstokke’s throw was wide, pulling first baseman Ethan Gilliam down the line, Smith tried to hurdle Gilliam to avoid a collision. Smith only partially succeeded and both players ended up on the ground.

Talbot scored the tying run, and Smith was safe. Gilliam had to be helped off the field and was later examed by a doctor in the Orofino dugout. (He was fine Saturday.)

Smith injured his wrist on the play, but remained in the game. Then, with Matt Gorrell at the plate, Smith attempted to steal second. He again was safe but remained down after being struck by the throw. He then proceded to steal third.

Gorrell eventually drew a walk and was replaced by courtesy runner Dillon Blankenship. Blankenship, who was called up from the Team Rudi Junior Legion when Coleman Lay became ill between games, then advanced to second on a passed ball. Smith couldn’t score on the play when the ball didn’t get too far away from catcher Frank Haskett.

Then, Team Rudi coach Dan Blankenship puled a trick play out of his play book. With two strikes on Trace Richardson, Dillon Blankenship broke for third. He was two-thirds of the way there when Coach Blankenship started yelling “get back, get back.” Dillon froze in his tracks, then started to return toward second. Orofino attempted a play on him while Smith scooted home with what proved to be the winning run in a 3-2 Team Rudi win.

“That was a rough time around the bases for me,” Smith said after the game while getting an ice bag taped to his left wrist.

“That was a planned play,” Coach Blankenship said of the winning play. “I had told Dillon if there were two strikes to break. It worked great.”

Team Rudi trailed 2-0 entering the bottom of the fourth. Then consecutive singles by Gorrell, Richardson and Will Barr cut the deficit to 2-1.

Gorrell threw a complete-game six-hitter. He had to pitch from the stretch in all but the seventh inning, as Orofino had runners on in each inning.

“Matt Gorrell had a great game on the bump,” Blankenship said.

“Colten Richards had a great game behind the plate, and our defense turned in a great game.”

Richardson and Derek Blankenship each had two hits for Team Rudi.

Team Rudi shuts out Burns

Team Rudi left little doubt in its first game against Burns. The Diamondbacks scored six runs in the first inning on the way to a 10-0 five-inning win.

Barr and Lay each had two-run singles in the inning. Richardson added an RBI single, and Gorrell drove home the other run when he was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.

Gorrell added an RBI double in the second.

Smith’s RBI single with one out in the fifth ended the game by 10-run rule.

Lay threw a complete-game one-hitter, striking out five.

First game

Burns 0 0 0 0 0 – 0

Team Rudi 6 1 1 0 2 – 10

Swindlehurst, Adam (4) and Fritts. Lay and Gorrell. WP andndash; Lay. LP andndash; Swindlehurst.

Burns hits andndash; Adams. Team Rudi hits andndash; Smith, Talbot 2, Gorrell, Richardson 2, Barr, Lay, Freese, Brown.

Team Rudi RBI andndash; Smith, Gorrell 2, Richardson, Barr 2, Lay 2, Blankenship.

2B andndash; Talbot, Gorrell.

Second game

Orofino 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 – 2

Team Rudi 0 0 0 1 2 0 x – 3

Sigler and Haskett. Gorrell and Richards. WP andndash; Gorrell. LP andndash; Sigler.

Orofino hits andndash; Sigler, Breeden 2, Midstokke, Melton, Dahmen. Team Rudi hits andndash;Blankenship 2, Richardson 2, Gorrell, Barr, Talbot, Freese.

Orofino RBI andndash; Breeden, Melton. Team Rudi RBI andndash; Barr.

2B andndash; Blankenship, Richardson.