Sophomore hurler Trinity Naugle struck out 11 SW Oregon hitters and benefited from a fifth inning web gem by Saydie Harris in centerfield, as LCC beat the Lakers 4-3 in game one of Thursday's doubleheader.
SWOC jumped up early in game two and held off several LCC threats to grab a 10-7 win. The doubleheader was played at Heerensperger Field at Tam O' Shanter Park in Kelso. It was originally scheduled for March 14, but was moved up to avoid the wet weekend forecast in Western Washington.
With the split in its South Region opening games, Lower Columbia is 6-4 overall and 1-1 in league play. The first game win for LCC ended the Lakers seven-game win streak.
The Red Devils are off for finals week and then travel to Aberdeen to meet Grays Harbor for a twinbill on March 21, starting at noon. Lower Columbia and all NWAC spring sports teams are awaiting a decision from the conference on the status of future athletic events related to the coronavirus.
 Game 1 – Lower Columbia 4, SW Oregon 3:
After Naugle fired four shutout innings, the Lakers strung together three singles and a hit-by-pitch to tie the game at 1-1. With two outs and the bases loaded, SWOC's Alyssa Smokey hit a shot to deep left center field that looked like a bases clearing double. But the speedy Harris had other ideas, flying to the fence to snag the liner and end the inning.
The Harris catch fired up the Red Devil offense. Taylor Alto lined a single to open LCC's fifth inning, setting up a Valeti Fifita two-run home run to CF, her third of the season. One out later Harris swatted a solo bomb, giving the Devils a 4-1 lead.
SWOC got two solo home runs in the 7th inning, but Naugle induced a pop out to Harris to end it for the Devils game one win.
Zoe Naugle and Kinzey Williams added two hits each to LCC's eight-hit attack.
Game 2 – SW Oregon 10, Lower Columbia 7:
SWOC took advantage of early walks and home runs in the third and fourth innings to jump ahead 7-3 and never trailed in the game. But that's not to say the Devils didn't battle all the way to the end.
Trailing 7-3 in the fourth Harris sliced a three-run triple to the right field corner, bringing the Red Devils within a run. For the game the sophomore centerfielder was 2-3 with six RBI.
In a big moment on the day, pinch hitter Aspen Norman clubbed a fifth-inning run-scoring double to the left field corner to tie the game at 7-7. Norman missed all but nine games in 2019 with a shoulder injury and had off season surgery. This was her first at bat in a year and she energized the LCC dugout and home fans with the clutch hit.
But SWOC scratched back with a run in the sixth and two in the seventh to go up 10-7. Lower Columbia had multiple baserunners both innings but could not come up with a clutch hit. They came close in the sixth when a Zoe Naugle shot to right was caught at the fence, just missing a two-run home run.
Fifita and Kinzey Williams added two hits each. Right fielder Karsyn Zaragoza and shortstop Bryanna Soares each had one hit, and both made strong defensive plays.
Â
