(Yakima, WA) – An early morning wake-up call, long van trip and cold Yakima weather certainly did not deter Lower Columbia Softball on Saturday. The Red Devils parlayed 39 hits in the doubleheader, including 16 extra base hits, to go along with outstanding pitching in a sweep of Yakima Valley 24-0 and 12-4.
The wins extend the Devils to a 7-3 record in the early going.
Saturday's hitting parade began with a lead-off single from freshman
Lexi Grumbois that keyed a six-run first inning. A
Brooklyn Loose two-run triple and a two-run home run from
Maliyah Twitty were the biggest blows of the inning,
Grumbois had eight hits in the DH…including 5-5 in the opener. Overall, she was 8-9 with three doubles, a home run, six RBI and two stolen bases. Her lone out was a liner to the YVC centerfielder.
LCC continued torrid at the plate, scoring seven runs in the second inning and 11 more in the third.
Joelie Eder added a mammoth two-run home run to straight away center field,
Sawyer Stenson (2 RBI) and
Teeghan Reams (3 RBI) both had four hits and
Raychel Squibb had three hits and two RBI.
Other Red Devils with multiple hits in game one were
Ella Dillon (2-3, 4 RBI),
Bella Aspaas (2-3, 2 RBI) and Twitty 2-5, 3 RBI).
The Devil pitching was strong, too. Starter
Alli Heater threw a one hitter over the first four innings, and walked just one Yak hitter. Heater got the win, with
Sadie Knutson returning from an ankle injury to throw a perfect fifth, striking out two.
Lower Columbia scored early in game two, on Loose's two-run double in the first and a Grumbois two-run bomb in the second. Yakima matched that and the game was tied at 4-4 entering the third inning.
Red Devil starter
Teeghan Reams dug in and allowed no runs and just three hits over the next three innings, assisted by a running catch in centerfield from Twitty to end the fifth.
While Reams was putting up zeroes, the LCC offense got busy and scored eight runs over the final three innings. Eder hit her second two-run shot of the day,
Allison Baumgart had a two-run single and
Kaydence Mackin drove in a pair of runs to fuel the rally.
Grumbois and Loose both hit 3-4 and Baumgart and Stenson each had two hits.
Knutson pitched a scoreless sixth inning to close out the sweep.
Next up for LCC is six games in Pasco – a twinbill on Friday vs. Columbia Basin and two games each on Saturday and Sunday as part of the NWAC Crossover.
