(Longview, WA) – It was another somewhat frustrating weekend for the Lower Columbia College baseball team. After splitting a pair of games against Pierce in Lakewood on Saturday May 4
th, LCC was home on Cinco De Mayo looking to take two and get the series. What transpired was one of the worst games of the season.
Owen Luchies picked up his teammates and pitched a great game getting the series split.
Game One in Lakewood – Lower Columbia 7 Pierce 2
It was the Devils first game on brand new Pierce home field at Fort Steilacoom Park. LCC broke a scoreless tie with six runs in the third inning. Two walks followed by an error loaded the bases. A hit-by-pitch scored the first run.
Cayden Wotipka then hit a ball to third and another error allowed two more runs to score.
Owen Cummins hit a sacrifice fly to drive in a run.
Jake Smith singled home a run and
Gunnar Shiotani followed with a double to drive home two. A run was taken off the board when Pierce appealed that Smith missed third base.
Meanwhile Red Devil ace
Hunter Lutman was dealing. He allowed just a 4
th inning single in seven shutout innings, striking out seven and walking just one Raider.
Josh Mejia worked the last two innings.
Wotipka drove in another run with a 9
th inning double.
Game Two in Lakewood – Pierce 2 Lower Columbia 1
Down 1-0 in the top of the 6
th inning of a 7 inning game, the Devils tied it up on Cummins sacrifice fly. The Raiders came right back and regained the lead in the bottom of the 6
th on a Joe Scheffler RBI base hit off Devil reliever
Hunter Grasser.
Jack DeDonato went 4 1/3 innings allowing just three hits and one run. The run was unearned but self-inflicted as the lefty threw high as a runner was seemingly picked off. The error got the runner to third and then scored on a pitch that got past LCC catcher Matt Bailey.
Grasser took the loss.
The Devils could muster just two hits.
Game Three in Longview – Pierce 15 Lower Columbia 4
It was a nightmare game for LCC. Pierce pounded out 18 hits and the Devils committed five errors.
The Raiders jumped off to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first off LCC starter
Noah Imboden.
Down 4-0 in the bottom of the 4
th, the Devils did tie up the game with four runs.
Brayden Oram had an RBI double. Smith followed with a run scoring single.
Langan Naylor and
Wren Cecil had sac flies in the frame.
Playing in front of many members of the 1990 LCC team in attendance during Hall of Fame Day, the circus began. Pierce scored 11 runs in the final four innings and there was no sign of any Devil comeback.
Game Four in Longview – Lower Columbia 5 Pierce 2
With the team dejected, Luchies to the rescue. The sophomore righthander went six strong innings, scattering 10 hits and walking just one. Luchies pitched to contact and the Devils had just one error behind him.
Pierce did score single runs in the 5
th and 6
th to make it a game.
Joey Pearson came in to close it out in the 7
th and he got the job done thanks to a high leaping catch by Naylor that was turned into a double play. Pearson got the save.
Getting the split was huge for LCC as they remain two games behind Pierce in the loss column in the race for second place. The Devils are still mathematically alive for the West Division title, but the more likely scenario is second place. LCC closes out the regular season with a four game series against last place Grays Harbor. Pierce has a makeup DH with Clark on Wednesday and then four games against first place Tacoma this weekend.
The Devil host the Chokers Friday May 10
th in a 12 pm double header at Story Field. The teams then have a quick turnaround for an 11 am twin bill Saturday May 11
th in Aberdeen.
