Red Devils softball entered last Friday leading the NWAC in batting average and home runs and kept the hitting onslaught rolling in doubleheader sweeps over Mt. Hood and Centralia.
 
Now 21-0 overall and 13-0 in the South Region, Lower Columbia bashed 15 home runs in the four wins to up the season total to 59, while hitting at a .465 clip.
 
The top-ranked Devils travel to the NWAC crossover April 12-13 in Yakima, where they will meet Wenatchee Valley, Shoreline, Olympic and Edmonds.
 
Friday recap: Gresham, OR
Lower Columbia 16, Mt. Hood 7 – The two top-ranked teams were in a tight game through four innings, with LCC up 8-6. But behind masterful relief pitching by Ava Eib (win) and Zoey Hughes (save), the Saints scored just one run the final four innings. That gave plenty of time for the Red Devil offense to add eight late runs to pull away.
 
Brooklyn Loose, Hailey Brooks, Joelie Eder, Allison Baumgart and Cerenity Fake hit home runs. Brooks drove in four runs, Rylee Brown had three RBI and Baumgart and Loose each plated two teammates. Savannah Hawkins, Eder and Brooks doubled.
 
Lower Columbia 16 Mt. Hood 11 – Trailing 5-1 in the 3^rd inning, the Red Devils started their comeback when Lexi Grumbois scored on a MH error and then Fake launched a no-doubt grand slam to put the Devils up 6-5.
 
After the Saints regained a 9-6 lead in the 4^th, LCC came back again behind long balls from Brooks, Hawkins (first of her college career) and Grumbois to grab an 11-9 lead, before Mt. Hood tied the game at 11-11 with two runs in the 7^th.
 
The LCC bats stayed hot in the 8^th plating five runs behind Brooks third HR of the day, a three-run shot, then Baumgart's a two-run bomb.
 
Baumgart and Grumbois each had three hits. Brooks had another four RBI game, as did Fake with her grand slam. Baumgart drove in three and Kaydence Mackin added a double.
 
Eib again was strong in relief earning her second win of the day, while limiting the strong hitting Saints to just two runs on four hits over the final four innings.
 
Saturday recap: Kelso, WA
Lower Columbia 9, Centralia 1 (5 innings) – Fake got the nod in the circle and pitched four scoreless innings, while allowing no hits, to get the win.
 
Loose jump-started the offense with a two-run blast in the 3^rd, before the Red Devils piled on a six-run 4^th inning to break the game open. Brown lashed a two-run triple to start the rally, followed by a Gabi Silveria RBI double, Grumbois' two-run HR and a Brooks solo shot. Loose and Silveria each had two hits for LCC.
 
Lower Columbia 12, Centralia 4 (five innings) – Down 1-0 after the Blazers scored in the first, Lower Columbia batted around and answered with seven runs. Loose and Eder each drove in runs with a single, before Eib ripped a bases- clearing double and Silveria followed with a two-run home run.
 
Centralia inched back with a three-spot in the 3^rd, but the Devils answered with four runs on another Eib RBI double, Loose's run-scoring triple and Baumgart's two-run single. Katelyn Swanson added an RBI single in the 4^th to give LCC the eight-run lead and Hughes came out of the bullpen to close the game on the mercy rule with a scoreless final two innings.
 
Jadyn Terry started and earned the win in the circle. Eib led the way at the plate with four RBI. Loose, Baumgart and Silveria each had a pair of RBI.
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