Game 1: Red Devils Win a Walk-Off Thriller in Extra Innings, 4-3
The Lower Columbia Red Devils fought hard to secure a gritty 4-3 extra-innings victory against Chemeketa at David Story Field. The game was a tense back-and-forth battle that saw the Red Devils rally to tie the game in the fifth inning and ultimately walk away with the win in the bottom of the tenth.
Down 3-1 entering the bottom of the fifth, the Red Devils' offense came alive. Martyn Hernandez laced an RBI single to score Nathan Woodside, and H. Rowe followed it up with a clutch RBI double to bring home Noah Boria, tying the game at 3-3. The score remained deadlocked until the bottom of the tenth inning. Jaylen Kennedy ignited the final rally with a single, advanced to second on a walk by Karsten Hansen, and crossed the plate for the game-winning run on a walk-off RBI single from James Cote.
Key Red Devils Stats:
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Team Offense: The Red Devils tallied 4 runs on 8 hits, leaving 8 runners on base.
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Team Defense: Lower Columbia committed 1 error while holding Chemeketa to 3 runs on 4 hits.
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Hitting: Cote delivered when it mattered most, finishing with 2 RBIs, including a sacrifice fly in the second and the walk-off single in the tenth.
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Hitting: Kennedy scored 2 of the team's 4 runs, going 2-for-4 at the plate.
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Hitting: Harlan Rowe recorded the team's only extra-base hit of the game with an RBI double.
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Pitching: Starter Dante Santulli pitched 4.0 innings, allowing 1 earned run on 2 hits while striking out 4.
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Pitching: Lincoln Berg was dominant in relief, tossing 5.0 innings and allowing 0 earned runs while striking out 3.
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Pitching: Jackson Wendt pitched a hitless 10th inning with 1 strikeout to earn the win (1-0).
Game 2: Late Rally Falls Short as Red Devils Drop the Nightcap, 2-1
In the second game of the doubleheader, the Red Devils' bats struggled to find their rhythm, resulting in a narrow 2-1 defeat to Chemeketa. The pitching staff kept Lower Columbia in the game, but the offense couldn't push enough runs across the plate to complete the sweep.
Chemeketa built a 2-0 lead by scoring single runs in the second and fourth innings. The Red Devils were held scoreless until a dramatic bottom of the seventh inning. Kennedy sparked hope with a single, and walks to Wendt and Jackson Noonan loaded the bases. Hernandez then delivered an RBI single to bring the score to 2-1 and keep the bases loaded. However, Chemeketa managed to escape the jam by inducing a fly out to center field to end the game.
Key Red Devils Stats:
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Team Offense: The Red Devils managed 1 run on 5 hits and left 8 runners stranded on base.
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Team Defense: Lower Columbia played a clean game defensively with 0 errors.
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Hitting: Hernandez was a bright spot in the lineup, going 2-for-4 with a double and the team's lone RBI.
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Hitting: Kennedy went 1-for-2 and scored the only run for the Red Devils.
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Hitting: Ross Kelley went 1-for-3 and swiped 1 base.
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Pitching: Starter Cole Pentin took the loss (0-1), allowing 2 earned runs on 4 hits with 5 strikeouts over 4.0 innings.
- Pitching: Rudy Larson kept the game within reach with a brilliant 3.0 innings of relief, allowing 0 runs on 1 hit while striking out 5.
The Lower Columbia College Red Devils return to the diamond this weekend to host the Bellevue Bulldogs (1-3) for a four-game series. The homestand begins on Saturday, March 21, with the first pitch of the opening doubleheader set for 2:00 PM. The series concludes with another doubleheader on Sunday, March 22, with games scheduled for 12:00 PM and 2:00 PM.
