(Kelso, WA) – Lower Columbia and Mt. Hood tangled in a South Region doubleheader on Wednesday May 8
th at Tam O'Shanter Park. Despite eye popping offense numbers by both teams this season, the pitchers ruled most of the day. But two big swings propelled each team to victory in a double header split.
Game One- Mt. Hood 3 Lower Columbia 0
Bella Carazo of Mt. Hood and
Teeghan Reams of LCC were both outstanding in the circle. Reams made one mistake early in the game and it cost her.
Peyton Foreman jumped on Reams 0-2 pitch in the first inning and hit a three-run homer to account for all of the scoring.
Both pitchers put up goose eggs the rest of the way. Carazo allowed just two hits, both in the third inning.
Lexi Grumbois and
Leanna Russell hit back to back singles before
Sawyer Stenson hit a screamer right into the glove of Hood third baseman Lizzie Brauckmiller. Brauckmiller threw to second to double off Grumbois. That was the only real threat against Carazo.
After the first inning homer, Reams blanked the Saints over the next six innings.
Game Two – Lower Columbia 5 Mt. Hood 2
The pitching was again superb. LCC starter
Sadie Knutson and Mt. Hood starter Camille Schmitz both kept the opposition off balance.
The Devils got an early lead when Grumbois slapped a first inning single and then scored when Stenson stung the ball off the glove of Hood second baseman Madison Walker.
Knutson put up four scoreless innings until Ava Carroll took her deep for a solo shot that tied the game after five innings. Mt. Hood then took the lead with a sacrifice fly in the 6
th inning.
Schmitz dealt five scoreless frames after LCC's scored in the first.
Down 2-1 in the bottom of the 7
th, the Devils pulled it out of the hat. Head coach
Traci Fuller on Sophomore Day decided to stay with two of her second year players despite potent options on the bench. They both came through.
Maliyah Twitty opened the fateful inning with a ringing double off the base of the fence.
Ella Dillon than laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt to get the tying run Twitty to third. Grumbois then came up with her third hit of the game to drive in Twitty. The game tying single gave Grumbois the school record for hits with 92, breaking the mark of 91 set by Kayla Vicaryous back in 2008.
Russell followed with a single and it set the stage for Stenson. She guessed that Schmitz would come in with a change up and she guessed right. Stenson slammed a three-run walk off homer that gave the Devils a 5-2 victory, snapping the Saints 10 game win streak.
It was Stenson's team leading 17
th homer and her team leading 63
rd RBI and it came on her final at bat at Tam O'Shanter Park.
It was a great finish for the nine Sophomore's who were honored in a between-games ceremony.
Sophomore
Alli Heater got the victory after she provided a scoreless 7
th inning in relief of fellow soph Knutson.
The Devils have two more games in the regular season. They travel to Coos Bay, OR for a doubleheader with Southwestern Oregon on Friday May 10
th. The first game is at 12 pm.
LCC jumps up a spot to number four in the NWAC Ratings Performance Index (RPI). The Devils will begin the NWAC Championships at Delta Park in Portland, OR on Thursday May 16
th.
