Red Devil hitters plated 70 runs, pounded out 73 hits and took advantage of 26 walks on the way to sweeping five games played in Yakima over the weekend. Four of the games were part of the 22-team NWAC Softball Spring Crossover.
 
Not to be lost in the weekend hitting spree were Saturday pitching gems from Teeghan Reams and Sadie Knutson. Reams spun a five-inning no hitter in a 9-0 win over Pierce.
 
Lower Columbia has won 14 straight games and is now 33-8 overall. The Red Devils are tied with Mt. Hood atop the NWAC South Region at 17-3. Conference play resumes on Saturday in Salem vs. Chemeketa.
 
Weekend game recap:
Friday, Lower Columbia 18, Walla Walla 10 (five innings) – In a makeup game from an earlier rainout, Alli Heater got the start on her birthday in her hometown and went the distance for the win. The sophomore fanned four WW hitters and allowed five earned runs.
 
Lexi Grumbois was 4-4 with a long home run and five RBI. Karlee VonMoos and Ella Dillon had three hits each.
 
Raychel Squibb also hit a mammoth home run and drove in three runs. Sawyer Stenson added two hits and two RBI and Kaydence Mackin drove in four runs.
 
Saturday, Lower Columbia 9, Pierce 0 (five innings) – Reams dominated in the circle, allowing no hits and just one base runner (hit by pitch) in the five-inning mercy rule win. The sophomore righty had five Ks and walked none.
 
Grumbois once again sparked the offense with three hits, including a pair of triples. Dillon also tripled and had two hits and two RBI, Leanna Russell drove in three runs, Maliyah Twitty had two RBI and Reams chipped in a double and single.
 
Saturday, Lower Columbia 10, Edmonds 1 – In a matchup of first place teams in their respective divisions, the Red Devils beat the Tritons mostly thanks to the pitching of Sadie Knutson. The sophomore righty threw a complete game 4-hitter with eight Ks.
 
Bella Aspaas hit a three-run home run, her first of the season, to break the game open in a five-run Red Devils 7^th inning. She also added two singles for a three-hit game. Brooklyn Loose and Russell also had three-hit games.
 
Sunday, Lower Columbia 16, Walla Walla 8 (six innings) – Alexis Keaveny hammered a pinch-hit, three-run mercy rule walk-off home run for a resounding end to a once close game.
 
Lower Columbia led just 10-8 entering the bottom half of the sixth inning. A lead-off triple from Aspaas jump started the inning, before singles from Dillon, Grumbois, Russell and a walk to Squibb set the table for the Keaveny blast.
 
Squibb hit her second home run of the weekend, clearing the centerfield fence with a long solo shot. Loose had three hits and five RBI and Russell drove in a pair of runs.
 
Heater was the winning pitcher, with two innings of effective middle relief. Knutson threw a perfect sixth inning to earn the save.
 
Sunday, Lower Columbia 17, Columbia Basin 9 (6 innings) – Behind a 16-hit attack, LCC used fifth inning two-run home runs from Loose and Joelie Eder to break away and get the win over the Hawks.
 
Reams came out of the bullpen and allowed just two runs and five hits over the final three innings to get the win.
 
Grumbois, Russell, Squibb, Mackin (4 RBI), Aspaas, Reams and Eder (4 RBI) all had two hits.
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