PREP BASEBALL

Montesano 2, Hoquiam 1

A snap throw down to second base by Montesano catcher Parker Plato thwarted Hoquiam’s late-game comeback attempt and allowed the Bulldogs to secure a 2-1 victory over the Grizzlies on Tuesday at Olympic Stadium.

Montesano (11-2, 5-0 Evergreen 1A) was protecting a 2-1 lead with two outs and two on in the bottom of the seventh.

Hoquiam (8-4, 4-2) used an infield single and a walk to put runners on first and second with Payton Quintanilla at the plate with the potential tying and winning runs on base.

Nearing his pitch count limit, Montesano’s Evan Bates went for the strikeout against Quntanilla and attempted to get him to chase a fastball up and out of the zone.

Montesano’s Evan Bates delivers a pitch in the seventh inning against Hoquiam on Tuesday. Bates allowed one run and pitched a complete game in Monte’s 2-1 win over Hoquiam. (Hasani Grayson | Grays Harbor News Group)

Plato had made a throw down to second base earlier in the at bat and made another attempt to pick off Hoquiam’s Joel Emery.

Plato’s second pick off throw down to the second caught Emery wandering too far away from the base as he was tagged out by Carter Olson to end the game.

“Hoquiam had their best batter up in that situation and the guy got a little far out there and Parker made a great throw,” Montesano head coach Mike Osgood said. “That wasn’t anything called from the dugout, the guys did that on their own and it worked out.”

Hoquiam head coach Steve Jump said he didn’t want to see his baserunners get too aggressive with their leads with Quintanilla at the plate.

“In that situation, with one of your best hitters up you want a good secondary lead but not an overly-aggressive secondary lead,” he said. “You’re assuming (Quintanilla) is going to hit one through and you’re going to score.”

Plato’s pick-off play punctuated the win that put Montesano is sole possession of first place in the league, but it was Evan Bates’ pitching that led the way for Monte.

Bates pitched a complete game and struck out 10 in Tuesday’s low-scoring affair. The senior hurler was in control for most of the evening despite a steady rain that made for muddy conditions on the infield.

Bates said he had a good feeling going into this one despite the precipitation.

“In the beginning of the game I was feeling all three of my pitches. The weather dictated what the ball was like and I couldn’t get as big of a grip, but I felt confident in my stuff,” he said.

The rain was constant and both pitchers did what they could to put a damper on opposing batters.

Hoquiam starter Zach Elsos pitched 5 1/3 innings and scattered three hits while surrendering two earned runs.

Hoquiam pitcher Zach Elsos delivers a pitch in the fourth inning against Montesano in the fourth inning on Tuesday. (Hasani Grayson | Grays Harbor News Group)

Bates nearly had a shutout until Hoquiam’s Liam Odell hit a line-drive single to right in the sixth inning to drive in Kyle Larsen for the Grizzlies’ only run of the night.

Both of Montesano’s runs came off the bat of Cyrus Parsons, who hit a double over Caden Templer’s head in left field to drive in a run in the fourth.

Parson drive in another run with a single up the middle in the sixth, allowing Payson Parker to score from second.

Bates said it was easy to relax on the mound with his teammates making plays in the field and coming up with timely hits.

“We had a good plate approach when we had guys on base. Big shout out to Cyrus Parsons for getting our two RBI,” he said. “I’m also thankful for the plays made defensively behind me. We have some good infielders and some good outfielders. I’m thankful for what I got behind me.”

Jump was hoping to see his team take advantage of having runners in scoring position on a night where the Grizzlies got 11 runners on base.

“I just think we need to see more production from the bottom of our order. We got five guys really hitting right now and we need to see a few more,” he said. “(Montersano) got it done and we didn’t get it done with guys in scoring position. We failed three or four times with guys in scoring position.”

Weather permitting, Hoquiam will get a chance to bounce back when the Grizzlies host Elma at 5 p.m. on Wednesday.

Montesano will try to further solidify its spot in the league standings with a home game against Forks at 5 p.m. on Friday.

With the Grizzlies and Bulldogs set to face each other again before the end of the regular season, Bates said it’s important for his team to stay focused and keep the same energy for the rest of the schedule.

“It’s a big win but we’re not even halfway done with league yet,” he said. “We have to keep coming out here with the same approach where we battle for every run and every out. This helps our confidence, but nothing changes, we’re still going to be aggressive.”

Montesano 000 101 0 – 2 4 2

Hoquiam 000 001 0 – 1 7 1

WP – Bates (CG, 10 K, 7 H, BB); LP – Elsos (5.1 IP, 4 K, 3 H, 5 BB)

Top Hitters: Montesano – Parsons (2-4, 2B, 2 RBI); Hoquiam – Jackson Folkers (2-4), Odell (RBI)

Ocosta 14, Ilwaco 1

A high-scoring offense and stingy pitching were the recipe for the Ocosta Wildcats in their 14-1 drubbing of the Ilwaco Fisherman in the opener of a doubleheader on Tuesday in Westport.

Ocosta (13-1 overall, 11-1 Pacific 2B) took control of the game early, scoring all 14 of its runs in the first three innings of play.

The Wildcats scored four runs in the first, highlighted by junior Dylan Mefford’s two-run double, and followed that up with three runs in the second capped by Cole Hatton’s two-run single.

Up 7-0 in the third, Ocosta put the game away with seven runs in the third inning. Eight straight Wildcats reached base in a frame in which Ocosta had five run-scoring hits.

Hatton tossed three innings of no-hit baseball to pick up the win, striking out seven in the process.

Kobe Beck threw the last two innings for Ocosta, allowing an unearned run in the fifth inning.

Mefford went 2-for-3 with a run and three RBI.

Hatton also had two hits in the game, going 2-2 with two runs and two driven in.

Ilwaco 000 01 — 1 2 3

Ocosta 437 0x — 14 10 2

WP — Hatton (3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 7 K, BB); LP — Trenton Cox (2.1 IP, 7 ER, 8 H, 2 BB)

Top Players: Ocosta — Mefford (2-3, 2B, R, 3 RBI); Hatton (2-2, 2 R, 3 RBI); Isaac O’Hagan (1-3, 2B, R, RBI); Cesar Martinez (1-3, 2 R, 3 RBI); Beck (1-3, 2 R); Colby Scheuber (1-2, 2 R); Kjirstin Hopfer (1-1, R, 2 RBI)

— Ryan Sparks, Grays Harbor News Group

Ocosta 15, Ilwaco 0

Similar to its performance in the first game, Ocosta made quick work of Ilwaco in the nightcap, scoring 15 runs in the second and third innings combined in a 15-0 victory.

After a scoreless first inning, Ocosta scored seven runs in the second — six with two outs — capped by Cesar Martinez’s two-run single to give the Wildcats a 7-0 lead.

Ocosta’s offense did further damage in the third inning, putting up eight runs highlighted by Omar Luque’s two-run double.

Wildcats starter Colby Scheuber picked up the win, throwing three scoreless innings while allowing just one hit in the ballgame.

Martinez led Ocosta at the dish, going 3-for-3 with two runs and four RBI.

Luque added two hits, including a double, and three RBI.

Though the doubleheader blowout was similar to the one the Wildcats had eight days earlier against Life Christian Academy, Ocosta head coach Mike Hatton was pleased to see his team earn their way on base.

“I was happy the way our bats came alive,” Hatton said. “All the hard work in the cages is starting to pay off.”

Ocosta plays at Onalaska in a non-league matchup at 4 p.m. on Friday.

Ocosta 078 — 15 10 1

Ilwaco 000 — 0 1 1

WP — Scheuber (3 IP, 0 R, H, 5 K); LP — Landin Frank (3 IP, 10 ER, 10 H, K, 6 BB)

Top Players: Ocosta — Martinez (3-3, 2 R, 4 RBI); Luque (2-3, 2B, R, 3 RBI); Jayden Matthews (1-3, R, 2 RBI); Mefford (1-2, 2 R, RBI); Beck (1-2, 2 R, RBI)

— Ryan Sparks, Grays Harbor News Group

PREP SOFTBALL

Elma 7, Forks 5

The Elma Eagles overcame multi-run deficits twice to keep its undefeated record alive with a 7-5 victory over Forks on Tuesday in Elma.

After Elma starter Destry Dineen ran into some trouble after giving up two runs in the first inning the Eagles clawed back in the game with a run in each of the second and third innings to tie the game at 2-2.

But the Spartans (6-5, 1-3 Evergreen 1A) reclaimed the lead with three runs in the top of the fourth inning to take a 5-3 lead.

Elma (11-0-1, 3-0) then made it a 5-4 game with two runs in the bottom of the fourth and took the lead with three in the sixth.

Mikel settled in to keep Forks scoreless over the final three innings, leading Elma to the 7-5 victory.

Olivia Cain led Elma with three hits on the evening.

Jalyn Whipple went 2-for-3 and Kali Rambo tied the game for Elma with a solo home run in the third inning.

“I think the most impressive part of the game is Forks came out and scored some runs and we responded. We had a yearning and a want to win,” Elma assistant head coach Ashley Stancil said. “We’ve been off on that part of the game the last couple of years. This year, they know they want to win and have a fire inside them to win no matter what.”

Elma, the top-ranked team in the 2B class and the No. 3 team in the state according to maxpreps.com, faces the 2B’s No. 2 team — the Montesano Bulldogs — at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday in Montesano.

Forks 200 300 0 — 5 7 1

Elma 011 203 x — 7 9 0

WP — Mikel (7 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, 8 K, 2 BB); LP — Chloe Leverington (3 IP, 5 R, 6 H, 2 K)

Top Players: Elma — Cain (3-3, RBI); Whipple (2-3); Rambo (1-3, HR); Forks — Jayden Olson (3-4, HR)

— Ryan Sparks, Grays Harbor News Group

Hoquiam 13, Tenino 3

Hoquiam got its bats to heat up early against Tenino and ended the game in five innings in a 13-3 victory in Hoquiam on Tuesday.

Hoquiam (4-3, 2-2 Evergreen 1A) got hits up and down the lineup, with Kylee Bagwell having a particularly strong day.

Bagwell smacked a homer and added a double with two RBI to her stat line against the Beavers (3-6, 0-3).

Hoquiam head coach Keith Reynvaan was pleased with the run output but is still hoping to see his team take advantage with runners in scoring position.

“We still need to hit the ball better with runners in scoring position and we left nine runners on in five innings,” he said. “We’re still not getting that big hit, so we have to work on that.”

Reynvaan also highlighted Charli Eastman for pitching two scoreless innings in relief in her first pitching performance of the year.

Eastman also had a double and drove in two runs.

Hoquiam will face Forks on Thursday at home at 4:30 p.m. in the Grizzlies’ next contest.

Hoquiam 411 52 – 13 6 1

Tenino 102 00 – 3 6 1

WP — Hilliard (3 IP 2 K, 2 BB), LP – Cassie Cannon 2 IP, K, 3 BB)

Top Hitters: Hoquiam — Bagwell (HR, 2b 2 RBI 2 R), Eastman (2-3 3 R, 2 RBI)

BOYS PREP SOCCER

Elma 2, Hoquiam 0

First-half goals from Manny Hernandez and Cannon Seaburg were enough to give Elma the edge in a 2-0 victory over Hoquiam on Tuesday in Elma.

Elma (5-5-1, 4-3 Evergreen 1A) picked up its first tally in the 20th minute when Rodrigo Luna crossed the ball into Hernandez, who finished the play by tucking the ball inside the near post.

The Eagles struck again in the 28th minute when Luna crossed the ball into Hernandez again. Hernandez took a touch on the ball and was taken down in the box, which drew a penalty.

Seaburg took the penalty kick and placed to the right of Hoquiam keeper Jonny Smith to give Elma the 2-0 lead.

Elma head coach Carson Seaburg said his top forwards have all been performing at a high level this season.

“Rodrigo is a difference maker for us. When he’s involved in plays he’s making goal scoring opportunities,” he said. “Luna, Hernandez and Cannon are all playing well off of each other. They all do something a little different, which is really great.”

Hoquiam (6-5, 5-2) had a chance to cut into the lead later in the first half. Hoquiam took a shot that got past Elma keeper AJ Hernandez, but the goal was saved by Jace Poston who cleared the ball over the endline with a leaping kick.

Hoquiam will be back on the pitch on Thursday at Forks at 6 p.m.

Elma will also be on the road in its next game against Tenino at 6 p.m. on Friday.

Elma 2 0 – 2

Hoquiam 0 0 – 0

Top Players: Luna (A), Hernandez (G, 20th minute), Cannon Seaburg (G, 28th minute)

Centralia 2, Aberdeen 0

The Aberdeen Bobcats fell short in a battle of two teams tied atop the 2A Evergreen League, losing 2-0 to the Centralia Tigers on Tuesday in Centralia.

Centralia (6-3-1, 5-1 Evergreen 2A) scored approximately halfway through the first half on a long, deflected shot that got past Aberdeen goalkeeper Luis Soto.

After the half, Aberdeen (7-2-1, 4-2) pressured Centralia’s defense but failed to convert on its scoring opportunities.

The Tigers were able to double the lead in the final minute after Aberdeen was forced to move players forward in search of the equalizer.

“We had trouble connecting on passes and have to communicate better, but we never quit and almost came back to tie it at the end,” Aberdeen head coach Larry Fleming said.

Aberdeen will take on WF West at 7 p.m. on Thursday in Chehalis.

Aberdeen 0 0 — 0

Centralia 1 1 — 2

— Ryan Sparks, Grays Harbor News Group

Montesano’s Payson Parker rounds third to score in the sixth inning against Hoquiam on Tuesday. (Hasani Grayson | Grays Harbor News Group)