Saturday: Game 1- Columbia Basin 7 Grays Harbor 0. Game 2- Columbia Basin 3 Grays Harbor 10.
Sunday: Game 1- Columbia Basin 2 Tacoma 1. Game 2- Columbia Basin 10 Tacoma 3.
After finishing the previous weekend on a loss, CBC looked to bounce back against a pair of West Region opponents in Grays Harbor and Tacoma. The Hawks split with Harbor on the first day but were able to take both games on Sunday against Tacoma.
Shane Martin opened the weekend out again vs Harbor and turned in another stellar performance. Martin shut out the Chokers with a complete game 5-hitter including 9 strikeouts.
Hunter Tiffany lead all hitters with a Home Run, a double and 3 RBI's.
Riley Harrison also added 3 RBI's of his own to go with 2 hits and 2 runs scored.
Basin scored in both the second and third innings to jump out to an early 2-0 lead behind a
Trent Sellers RBI and Harrison's double. Tiffany's big swing drove in 3 runs in a 5-run fifth innind for the Hawks which was more than enough for Martin to get the job done on the hill. A scary moment for CBC in the 4th inning as
Payton Kallaher took a fastball to the side of the cheek that split his lip open. Kallaher would have to leave the game for treatment and would not return. His status will be up in the air for next weekend's contests.
Sellers started game 2 for the Hawks but struggled with control before exiting in the 4th inning after giving up 9 runs (6 earned). Nick Bonnington pitched well in relief scattering 2 hits and striking out 4 batters in 2 2/3 innings. CBC musted just 5 hits against Harbor pitchers.
Nick Grade finished 1-4 with an RBI double and
Adrian Crain scored 2 runs.
Sellers walked the bases loaded with 1 out in the fourth before getting a ground ball to third. An errant throw to first base cut short a double play allowing 3 runs to pass for the Chokers. Sellers again found himself in trouble in the 4th as he gave up a couple of extra base hits. Bonnington stepped in to try and get the final out of the inning but another Harbor single plated 2 more before he was able to strike out the final batter. After 4 innings, Harbor lead CBC 9-1. A pair of runs in the bottom of the 8th would not be enough as the Hawks dropped game 2 by a score of 10-3.
Sunday presented a challenging opportunity to face a perrenial power in Tacoma.
Jon Garza got the start in game 1 and pitched his way to a gritty impressive 2-1 win. He went 5 innings, struck out 9 Tacoma hitters and give up just a solo home run.
Riley Harrison and
Nick Solomon helped close out the Titans in relief allowing no hits and striking out a combined 9. Solomon recorded the save striking out 2 in the 9th.
Chase Oldham and
Trent Sellers both drove in a run for CBC who only had 3 hits in the game.
Cody Kehl lead of the first with a base hit up the middle.
Tyler Polacek followed with a walk before Oldham was able to move them both up with a sac bunt. Sellers was able to put one in play to score Kehl for the first run of the game. After a clean 3rd inning, Garza left a fastball out over the plate that Rightfielder Thomas Wheeler sent over the right field wall for Tacoma's only run of the game.
Nick Grade singled in the 6th before stealing second. Grade was advanced to third by Polacek's ground out to short. Oldham then doubled to left scoring Grade for the go-ahead run on the inning. Harrison and Solomon were able to take care of the final 4 innings only allowing 1 Tacoma baserunner.
Nick Bateman rebounded from his first start for the 10-3 win in game 2. Bateman went 5 innings and give up 2 runs (1 earned) on 3 hits and 2 walks. Sellers went 2-5 with 3 RBI's for CBC. Kehl added 3 hits and 2 runs and Harrison again drove in 2 more runs.
CBC scored 2 runs in the first inning off of a Sellers RBI and a sac fly by
Adrian Crain. A hit-by-pitch and a couple of wild pitches helped Tacoma score 2 off of Bateman in the second. The Hawks rallied for 3 more in the bottom half of the inning with Harrison doubling in 2 and Sellers bringing in Harrison with a single.
Basin scored 3 more in the 5th with
Cooper Shelby doubling in
JJ Kukes. Things began to get chippy between the two teams as Tacoma Rightfielder Donovan Yelle purposefully ran into CBC Firstbaseman Kukes who had some choice words for Yelle as the inning ended.
Grade was able to close the game out in relief after Shelby walked the bases loaded with no outs in the 8th with no outs. Grade got out of the jam giving up just 1 run on a double-play ball to short. No fight from Tacoma in 9th closed out the afternoon with a 10-3 win.
Columbia Basin moves to 6-2 on the season in a good early showing for new head coach
Stefan McGovern. The Hawks will host Green River and the Umpqua Riverhawks who just revived their baseball program next weekend on Saturday and Sunday starting at 11am.
