(Longview, WA) – The homefield was the key as the Lower Columbia Red Devils and Tacoma Titans split a four game series on April 27
th and 28
th.
The pitching was superb on Saturday in Tacoma but the Titans was a bit better as TCC won 2-0 and 2-1.
LCC bounced back on Sunday to get a two-game sweep which kept their West Region championship hopes alive.
Game One in Tacoma – Tacoma 2 Lower Columbia 0
TCC's Isaac Evaniew was superb as he held the Devils to just one hit in seven shutout innings. He struck out 12 and walked just one.
Titan reliever Logan Smith went two perfect innings to close it out.
LCC's lone hit was a
Wren Cecil single in the top of the 7
th.
Devil starter
Hunter Lutman pitched well over 4 2/3 innings. His only mistake was giving up a two-run single to Jeremiah Crain in the third inning.
Chayse Oxborrow pitched great in relief, allowing just one hit over 3 1/3 innings.
The game was marred by the injury to LCC first baseman
Alex Hartnett who injured his kneecap while flying out in the 8
th inning. Hartnett's foot stayed anchored in the moist dirt while swinging and went down. He will undergo a further exam to see the extent of the injury.
Game Two in Tacoma – Tacoma 2 Lower Columbia 1
The pitchers continued to dominate in the second game. LCC starter
Jack DeDonato gave up a solo homer to Aidan Dance in the first inning but settled down to provide 4 1/3 innings of quality pitching. He was chased in the 5
th after a double and a walk. Reliever
Stephen Hammergren committed an error to allow a Titan run but then ended the frame with a big strikeout to Crain. Hammergren went 1 2/3 allowing three hits and no runs.
Elijah Higginbottom went the distance for Tacoma, scattering six hits with eight strikeouts. LCC's
Jake Smith hit an RBI single in the second to account for the lone Devil run. Smith and
Brayden Oram each had two hits.
Game Three in Longview – Lower Columbia 13 Tacoma 8
The Devils needed two wins to have any chance of staying in the West race. They jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first when
Royce Vandine hit a clutch two-out double to drive in two runs.
Tacoma cut the lead in half when Logan Shepherd smacked a solo homer off LCC starter
Noah Imboden.
Cayden Wotipka got the run back when he singled home a run in the bottom of the second.
Up 3-2 going into the bottom of the third, LCC broke loose with four runs.
Langan Naylor hit a two-run single. Cecil followed with a run scoring base hit and Wotipka hit a sacrifice fly.
Imboden did his job blanking Tacoma in the third.
Hayden Morrison came on and pitched two innings. He gave up two hits and one run with three K's.
Aaron Platner went two frames giving up a run.
The Devils had another big inning when they scored six in the sixth. Three TCC errors allowed the Devils extra outs and they took advantage of it.
Up 13-3 with a chance to end the game early, the Devils allowed TCC to scratch out a run in the top of the 7
th to extend the game. After a solid eighth inning,
Carson Kruckman ran into trouble allowing five singles and four runs. Kruckman got a groundout to end the ballgame.
Naylor went 4 for 5 with three runs and two RBI's.
Game Four in Longview – Lower Columbia 5 Tacoma 4 (8 innings)
The game four starters each went five innings.
Owen Luchies pitched well over five frames, giving up five hits and two runs. He did not walk a batter and struck out five. He ran into early trouble when Tacoma opened the game with a single and a Zion Williams two-run homer. Luchies didn't let it bother him and he settled down the rest of his outing.
Down 2-1 in the bottom of the 5
th, Cecil clutched up with a big two run double down the left field line.
Josh Mejia came on in relief in the 6
th, but he surrendered a pinch-hit run scoring triple by Crain.
Hunter Grasser came in to reduce any further damage.
Tied 3-3 heading to extra innings, Tacoma scored the ghost runner on a Crain base hit to take a 4-3 lead. The Devils came up big to win it in the bottom of the 8
th. Placed-runner Cecil scored on a Wotipka single. LCC then won it on an Oram sacrifice fly.
The Devils with the split are 10-6 in West Region play, two games behind Tacoma and two games in the loss column behind second place Pierce.
LCC will travel to the brand new Fort Steilacoom Baseball Complex on Saturday May 4
th to take on the Pierce Raiders. The two teams will then celebrate Cinco De Mayo with a twin bill at Story Field on Sunday May 5
th. The 1990 NWAC Champion LCC team will be honored prior to the game and will have a reunion party at the ballpark. First pitch is at 12 pm.
