Tuesday Prep Baseball/Softball Roundup: Elma blanks Hoquiam to remain undefeated

PREP SOFTBALL

Elma 7, Hoquiam 0

Five runs in the last two innings put the game out of reach as Elma came away with a 7-0 road victory over Hoquiam on Tuesday.

Quin Mikel played a big role in the victory with her performance at the plate and in the circle, going 3-for-4 while pitching seven shutout innings.

For the first four innings of the contest, Mikel was nearly equalled by Hoquiam’s Tauni Hilliard. Hilliard kept the Eagles off the board until the fourth inning when Chloe Velasco drove in Mikel for the first run of day.

Mikel said that Hilliard presented a unique challenge to her as she has struggled to stay patient when facing slower pitching.

“We’ve been working on slow pitching because I personally have struggled with it ever since I started playing softball, so it was a big accomplishment for me today to wait and actually drive the ball,” she said. “All the practicing that we did throughout spring break really paid off today.”

The Eagles (10-0, 3-0 Evergreen 1A) added another run in the fifth inning before creating some more breathing room in the sixth, when Elma tacked on three runs.

Velasco reached on an error that allowed Molly Johnston and Mikel to score. Hoquiam’s fielding hurt the Grizzlies again when another error at shortstop brought in another run, giving Elma a 5-0 lead at the conclusion of the sixth inning.

Hoquiam head coach Keith Reynvaan said he was disappointed to see defensive miscues in the sixth frame after his team got off to a promising start.

“Our defense just let us down. We played really well for four innings, then they had three runs in the one inning and that was game over,” he said. “We just have to start making the plays when we can and start hitting the ball in the clutch.”

Hoquiam’s Abbi Spradlin hits a double in the second inning against Elma on Tuesday. (Hasani Grayson | Grays Harbor News Group)

The Eagles tacked on another two runs in the seventh as Mikel and Destry Dineen both picked up an RBI.

Hoquiam (3-3, 1-2) had its chances early on but saw its offense dwindle as the game continued. The Grizzlies put runners in scoring position each of the first three innings but couldn’t get a baserunners past second base after that.

Mikel struck out three batters in seven innings of work and mentioned that she was trying to simplify her approach after not pitching for a while.

“I haven’t been pitching a lot because I tried to take a break from it during spring break, so I was just hoping for the best today and letting my defense do all the work behind me.” she said.

Elma’s Quin Mikel delivers a pitch in the fourth inning in a game against Hoquiam on Tuesday. Mikel pitched a complete-game shutout in the Eagles’ 7-0 win over the Grizzlies. (Hasani Grayson | Grays Harbor News Group)

Elma plays host to Tenino on at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday as the Eagles look to remain undefeated in league play.

Hoquiam is taking a break from the league schedule to face a 4A school in a matchup against Decatur at 12 p.m. on Saturday in Hoquiam.

Reynvaan said his team will need to get its confidence up in order to get back in the win column.

“In a situation like that, it’s mental. They just have to have more confidence in all aspects of the game,” he said. “Hopefully, we can turn things around and develop more confidence in ourselves.”

“Our girls like to get out in front sometimes, but they finally took care of business,” Elma head coach Roger Elliot said. “It took a while, but as you watched every inning you could see that we were hitting the ball a little harder before we finally got to her.”

Elma 000 113 2 – 7 11 1

Hoquiam 000 000 0 – 0 5 3

WP – Mikel (3 K, BB 0 ER); LP – Hilliard (2 K, 4 ER)

Top Hitters: Mikel (3-4, 2B, RBI), Dineen (3-4, RBI); Hoquiam – Jade Cox (2B)

WF West 10, Aberdeen 3

One bad inning put the game out of reach for Aberdeen as the Bobcats fell 10-3 on the road to WF West on Tuesday.

The Bobcats (3-3, 2-1 Evergreen 2A) were down 2-0 after two innings of play but surrendered seven runs in the third frame.

The Bearcats (4-0, 9-0) were aided by three Aberdeen errors in the third inning.

Aberdeen head coach Scott Wilson said the game could have been close had they not fallen victim to miscues in the third.

“If we clean that inning up, it’s a tight ball game through seven,” he said. “Maybe we go to extra innings. I don’t know, it’s hard to say what would have happened.”

Jalyn McDaniel was saddled with the loss despite giving up just two earned runs in her four innings of work.

The Bobcats will host Rochester at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday.

Aberdeen 002 100 0 — 3 10 4

WF West 117 001 x — 10 12 1

WP – Kamy Dacus (2 ER, 2 BB, 8 K); LP – McDaniel (4 IP, 2 ER, 4 BB, 5 K)

Top Hitters: WF West — Ava Fugate (2-5, 2 RBI), Paetynn Lopez (3-5, 3 RBI 2 R); Aberdeen — Sierra Hammond (3-4)

Montesano 15, Tenino 0

Montesano kept pace for the top spot in the 1A Evergreen League race with a dominant 15-0 victory over Tenino on Tuesday in Montesano.

The Bulldogs (7-3 overall, 2-1 Evergreen 1A) jumped out the gate quickly, scoring seven runs in the bottom of the first inning on four run-scoring base hits.

Monte added to its lead with four runs in the fourth inning and put the game away with four in the third, capped by Jessica Stanfield’s walk-off three run home run to complete the 15-0 three-inning victory.

Stanfield went a perfect 3-for-3 with three runs scored and three RBI to lead the Bulldogs.

Montesano’s Emma Jensen went 2-for-2 with a double and two runs scored and Lindsay Pace belted a solo home run to lead off the Bulldogs’ third inning.

Pace also earned the victory in the circle, allowing no runs and no hits while striking out seven in three innings of work.

Tenino 000 — 0 0 1

Montesano 744 — 15 11 0

WP — Pace (3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 7 K); LP — Emily Baxter (2 IP, 14 ER, 11 H, 7 BB)

Top Players: Montesano — Stanfield (3-3, 3R HR, 3 R, 4 RBI); Jensen (2-2, 2B, 2 R, RBI); Kate Klinger (2-2, 2 RBI); Pace (1-2, HR, R, RBI); Katie Granstrom (1-2, R, RBI); Matti Ekerson (1-2, R)

— Ryan Sparks, Grays Harbor News Group

Wishkah Valley 36, Oakville 6

Wishkah Valley capitalized on 34 walks from Oakville pitchers en route to a 36-6 victory on Tuesday in Oakville.

Abi Van Blaricom belted a two-run home run in the fourth inning and drove in three runs for the Loggerettes (2-0 overall, Coastal 1B).

Van Blaricom’s sister, Molly, went a perfect 2-for-2 and drove in a team best four RBI for Wishkah.

Baylee Buchanan also had a big day at the plate for Wishkah, going 3-for-3 with two RBI.

Erica Bomhoff earned the victory for Wishkah, allowing no earned runs and two hits in two innings pitched.

Wishkah Valley 850 (23) — 36 14 1

Oakville 024 0 — 6 2 1

WP — Bomhoff (2 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, 5 K, BB); LP — Reed

Top Players: Wishkah — A. Van Blaricom (2R HR, 3 RBI); Buchanan (3-3, 2 RBI); M. Van Blaricom (2-2, 4 RBI); Bomhoff (2-2, 3 RBI)

— Ryan Sparks, Grays Harbor News Group

PREP BASEBALL

Tumwater 17, Aberdeen 0

The Aberdeen Bobcats are still searching for their first league win of the season after suffering a 17-0 loss to Tumwater on Tuesday at Pioneer Park in Aberdeen.

The Bobcats (2-7, 0-4 Evergreen 2A) trailed 4-0 after three innings and had trouble scoring runs against Tumwater pitching, which held Aberdeen’s offense to two hits to go along with 12 strikeouts.

Tumwater (6-3, 3-1) poured it on Aberdeen over the final three innings of the game, scoring five runs in the fifth inning and eight in the seventh, many of those runs being unearned as Aberdeen committed 13 errors in the contest.

“The score does not indicate how well (Aberdeen starting pitcher) Maliki Balesteri pitched for us,” Aberdeen head coach Shon Schreiber said. “As a freshman, he is out there competing for us. … I need to find a way to get our team on the same page and find the right guys to play. Bottom line, it comes down to me.”

Aberdeen 000 000 0 — 0 2 13

Tumwater 013 050 8 — 17 13 1

WP — Bradley Jordan; LP — Balesteri

— Ryan Sparks, Grays Harbor News Group

North Beach 7, Hoquiam JV 6

Sam Teague’s aggressive approach on the base paths was the difference as he scored the game-winning run on the errant throw to give North Beach a win over Hoquiam’s junior varsity team 7-6 on Tuesday in Ocean Shores.

Teague also lifted the Hyaks (2-8, 1-7 Pacific 2B) to victory with his pitching, keeping the Grizzlies off the board in the sixth and seventh innings.

North Beach head coach David Hinchen gave some of his more experienced players the day off and was pleased to see the younger guys on the roster rise to the occasion.

“Our younger guys stepped up today. It was good to get those guys some playing time and get a good team win,” he said.

North Beach is back in action on Thursday with a doubleheader at Ilwaco. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m.

North Beach 000 032 1 — 7 6 0

Hoquiam JV 220 200 0 – 6 3 1

WP – Sam Teague (6 K, 2 BB, 2 IP); LP – Michael Jump (6 K, 0 BB, 3 IP)

Top Hitters: North Beach –Teague (3-4, 2 RBI, 2 SB)

Lake Quinault 15, Mary M. Knight 5

The Lake Quinault Elks scored 11 runs in the fourth inning to beat Mary M. Knight 15-5 on Tuesday.

Jesus Mendoza earned the victory for Lake Quinault, striking out nine with one walk in four innings pitched.

Lake Quinault hosts Naselle at 4 p.m. on Thursday.

Lake Quinault 021 1(11) — 15 9 1

Mary M. Knight 001 04 — 5 3 9