PREP BASEBALL
Hoquiam 5, Forks 4
Things got tense with two outs and the bases loaded in the top of the seventh, but Jackson Folkers’ clutch performance out of the bullpen helped the Hoquiam Grizzlies escape with 5-4 win over Forks on Wednesday at Olympic Stadium in Hoquiam.
The Grizzlies (5-2, 1-0 Evergreen 1A) entered the seventh inning with a 5-2 lead and were benefiting from a solid pitching performance from starter Payton Quintanilla. Quintanilla had kept Forks (3-3, 0-1) from making solid contact, surrendering one hit, but struggled to find the strike zone at times with eight walks.
With two runners on, Hoquiam went to Zach Elsos to get the final out of the game. The junior hurler struggled with his control, however, and walked the first batter he faced to load the bases.
Elsos then hit the next two batters to bring the Spartans within a run at 5-4.
Hoquiam went to the bullpen again, handing the ball to Folkers who struck out Forks’ Tyler Wood on four pitches.
Hoquiam’s Jackson Folkers celebrates with teammates and coaches after picking up the final out of the game. (Hasani Grayson | Grays Harbor News Group)
“(Jackson Folkers) came in that situation and he’s a pressure kid. He shines in those moments,” Hoquiam head coach Steve Jump said. “We have a lot of confidence in him. You have to love a kid like Jackson who comes in with the bases loaded and the game on the line to strike the kid out in a few pitches.”
Hoquiam established its first lead of the game when Quintanilla tripled home Alex Reyes to break the seal on a scoreless tie in the first inning.
The Grizzlies held on to a 1-0 lead with both offenses quieting down while a consistent downpour soaked the field.
The rain was heavy enough in the first four frames that Hoquiam assistant coach Zac Reynvaan applied a drying agent to the mound, home plate and the area around first base in between the first few innings.
Hoquiam players look on as assistant coach Zac Reynvaan dumps Turface on the mound between innings after heavy rain in the early innings. (Hasani Grayson | Grays Harbor News Group)
Jump said he was impressed with the performance of both starting pitchers and was pleasantly surprised they were able to play a full game.
“I thought both pitchers had fairly good control considering the conditions,” he said. “I was thinking inning to inning and I didn’t even know we would get in seven innings. I’m sure the Forks coach was thinking the same thing.”
Despite the heavy rain, Quintanilla said he felt comfortable getting a grip on the ball early on and gave credit to the coaching staff for calling the right pitches at the right time.
“Our coaches were calling pitches for the game and we were setting batters up,” he said. “I’ve been working on my submarine delivery and that was working well today too.”
Forks’ Carter Windle looked comfortable on the mound in the early going as well. After surrendering a run in the first inning, the sophomore found his groove and fanned four over the next two innings.
As the rain slowed heading into the fourth frame, both offenses began to heat up. Forks began to get to Quintanilla in the fourth with Forks’ Riley Pursely coming through with a two-run single to give the Spartans a 2-1 lead.
Hoquiam tied the game in the bottom of the inning thanks in part to a balk by Windle that allowed Troy McMinn to score from third after he had previously worked his way on base with a walk.
The Grizzlies took the lead and gave themselves some insurance runs by scoring three in the fifth.
Reyes started off the inning by getting hit by a pitch and was followed by Quintanilla who nearly hit a home run when his line drive hit the top of the low-lying right field wall.
Quintanilla’s double put runners on second and third for Kyle Larsen, who singled down the right field line to drive both baserunners home and give Hoquiam a 4-2 lead.
Larsen said he tried not to overthink things when he came up to bat with two runners on and one out in the fifth inning.
“I just wanted to advance the runners and get a base hit. I was just trying to get the job done,” he said.
Larsen advanced to second base on a wild pitch and was driven by McMinn to push Hoquiam’s lead to 5-2 and provide the eventual game-winning run.
The Grizzlies will hit the road to play Tenino on Thursday to continue a game that was originally scheduled for March 26.
The game was brought to a halt in the second inning with Tenino holding a 1-0 lead and will be resumed from that point.
Jump said he is going to feel good about his team going forward if they can pull out a close win in less than ideal weather conditions.
“I was very happy with our offensive approach and I was happy with our defense,” he said. “It’s a little tougher when its muddy, but I was pleased overall with our play and our hustle.”
Hoquiam 100 130 X – 5 6 1
Forks 000 200 2 – 4 1 2
WP — Quintanilla (6.2 IP, 8 K, 6 BB, 2 HBP, H); LP — Windle (4.1 IP, 5 K 5 ER)
Top Hitters: Hoquiam – Quintanilla (2-4, 3B, 2B, RBI, R), Larsen (2 RBI), Reyes (2 R)
Montesano 14, Tenino 1
The Montesano Bulldogs put up crooked number in each of the first four innings en route to a 14-1 drubbing of Tenino on Wednesday in Montesano.
Montesano (6-2, 1-1 Evergreen 1A) started off hot, scoring three runs in the first capped by Evan Bates’ two-out, solo home run.
The Bulldogs put up another three spot in the second to go up 6-1 before a four-run third inning gave Monte a commanding 10-1 lead.
Monte put itself in position for a 10-run rule victory with an additional four runs in the fourth inning, highlighted by Parker Plato’s two-run double.
Bates earned the victory for Monte, allowing no earned runs on three hits in five innings of work. Bates struck out five Beavers without giving up a walk.
Bates also led Monte at the dish, going 2-for-4 with a run and four RBI to go along with his aforementioned home run.
Monte leadoff hitter Aaron Lano went 3-for-4 with a double and four runs scored and Plato had two doubles, scored two runs and drove in three runs.
Tenino (0-6, 0-1) pitchers walked 11 Monte hitters in the game.
Tenino 100 00 — 1 3 2
Montesano 334 40 — 14 10 3
WP — Bates (5 IP, 0 ER, 3 H, 5 K); LP — Ryan Deosky (3 IP, 8 ER, 5 H, 3 K, 8 BB)
Top Players: Montesano — Bates (2-4, HR, R, 4 RBI); Plato (2-4, 2 2B, 2 R, 3 RBI); Lano (3-4, 2B, 4 R); Payson Parker (1-3, 2B, R, RBI); Cyrus Parsons (1-3, R), Braeden Dohrmann (1-2, R, 2 RBI).
Other Scores
Tuesday’s games
Black Hills 13, Aberdeen 2
Wednesday’s games
Black Hills 2, Aberdeen 1
PREP SOCCER
Aberdeen’s Miguel Martinez goes up for a header in the second half of a game against WF West on Wednesday. (Hasani Grayson | Grays Harbor News Group)
Elma 5, Raymond-South Bend 0
Elma scored early and often in a dominant 5-0 win over Raymond-South Bend at Davis Field in Elma on Wednesday.
The Eagles (3-3-1, 2-2 Evergreen 1A) struck first in the seventh minute with a goal from Manny Hernandez off an assist from Rodrigo Luna.
Luna picked up another assist when he crossed the ball into Cannon Seaberg, who finished the play by sneaking the ball inside the far post to give the Eagles a 2-0 lead in the ninth minute.
Josue Torres got into the scoring act with the help of a pass from Seaberg that allowed Torres to put one in the back of the net from 15-yards out 18 minutes into the match.
Aberdeen’s Antonio Torres dribbles past a defender near the top of the box in the second half against WF West. Torres scored the only goal in Aberdeen’s 1-0 win over the Bearcats (Hasani Grayson | Grays Harbor News Group)
Luna and Alexis Bautista rounded out the scoring with goals in the 25th and 75th minutes, respectively, to round out the scoring for the Eagles.
Elma head coach Carson Seaberg said the game was a good learning experience for his young team that sometimes gets impatient with its passes.
“Some of our younger guys get anxious and clear it over the top and run onto it. Not scoring during those times in the second half was good for us because it’s a learning opportunity,” he said. “It gives me a chance to say that we’re better when we work the ball through the middle as a team.”
Raymond-South Bend drops to 3-2 overall and 1-2 in league play.
The Riptide will try to get back in the win column with a home match against Forks on Friday at 7 p.m.
Elma will head to Ilwaco for its next contest on Friday at 7 p.m.
Elma 4 1 — 5
Raymond-South Bend 0 0 — 0
Elma will also be in action on Friday with a matchup on the road against Ilwaco at 7 p.m.
Top Players: Elma – Luna (2 G, 9th and 25th minute), Hernandez (G, 7th minute), Torres (G, 18th minute), Bautista (G, 75th minute
Aberdeen 1, WF West 0
Aberdeen got an early goal from Antonio Torres and made it stand up the rest of the match in a 1-0 home victory over WF West at Stewart Field on Wednesday.
Aberdeen (5-0-1, 2-0 Evergreen 2A) got its lone tally in the 20th minute when Hulizes Chavez crossed the ball to Romeo Sanchez, whose shot from 10 yards out rang off the post. Torres cleaned up the rebound and put it past WF West Alex Brummer to give Aberdeen a 1-0 lead.
The Bobcats had other chances to convert on crosses into the box in the second half, but couldn’t find a way to finish those crosses and expand the lead.
Aberdeen head coach Larry Fleming said he was pleased with the way his back line marked up but expressed frustration with the lack of offensive production.
“They had a couple of quick players, but (Aberdeen’s) Angel Sanchez and Christian Sanchez had really good games. We ended up on defense because we didn’t possess the ball enough,” he said. “Against a team that’s inferior you should just hold the ball. At times we had chances, but soccer is so frustrating because they were still one goal away.”
The Bearcats are now 2-3-2 overall and 0-2 in league play following the loss.
Aberdeen will face the other undefeated team in the league when the Bobcats take on Tumwater in road match at 7 p.m. on Friday.
Aberdeen 1 0 — 1
WF West 0 0 — 0
Top Players: Aberdeen — Torres (G, 20th minute)
Montesano 2, Forks 0
A first half-goal from Luis Muro and a second-half goal from Veli Ambrocio was enough for Montesano to escape with a 2-0 road win over Forks on Wednesday.
Muro scored the first goal of the match in the 30th minute after stealing the ball from a Forks defender and shot the ball past the keeper from the corner of the box.
The Bulldogs (4-4, 4-0 Evergreen 1A) doubled their lead over the Spartans (2-2, 2-1 Evergreen) with another tally in the 60th minute.
Ambrocio benefited from aggressive play when he chased down a ball that was cleared away from danger. The sophomore forward shot the ball over the head of the keeper who came far out of the goal to make a play on the ball, giving the Bulldogs a 2-0 lead.
Montesano head coach Rick Denholm gave credit to his keeper, Max Urbanski, for keeping the clean sheet intact while under heavy pressure.
“Forks had a lot of shots on goal and Urbanski had a very good game to keep the shutout in place,” he said.
Montesano will try to push its win streak to three games when it faces off against Hoquiam in Montesano on Friday at 7 p.m.
Top Players: Muro (G, 30th minute), Ambrocio (G, 60th minute)
Montesano 1 1 — 2
Forks 0 0 — 0
PREP TRACK & FIELD
Aberdeen falls to WF West
The Aberdeen Bobcats track and field team lost to WF West in a 2A Evergreen League meet on Tuesday in Chehalis.
The Bobcats boys team, which lost to the Bearcats 121-24, were led by distance runner Jordan McKinney, who won both the 800 meter and 1,600 meter races. The Aberdeen junior ran a 2:06.97 in the 800, edging WF West’s Sonny Holub by five-hundredths of a second, and a 4:46.46, edging teammate Juilian Campos by tw0-tenths of a second. Both marks were personal records for McKinney.
Aberdeen sophomore Ricky Edmonson won the javelin with a mark of 149 feet, four inches, nearly 16 feet better than WF West’s Troy Yarter (133-08).
On the girls side, Aberdeen was led by a distance runner as well.
Bobcats sophomore Skyler Taylor repeated McKinney’s performance, winning both the girls 800 and 1,600 meter races.
McKinney posted times of 2:47.63 in the 800 and 6:08.27 in the 1,600, both season-best times.
Additional Bobcats to win events were Kennedy Pruett, who took the 100 meters with a time of 13.87 despite feeling under the weather.
Madi Niemi won the girls 400 with a time of 1:05.89, nearly two seconds better than the Bearcats’ Kylee Spears (1:07.82).
Aberdeen’s Patricia Bates dominated the discus event, winning with a throw of 101-10, more than 10 feet better than WF West’s Taya McCallum, who placed second with a mark of 91-08.
As a team, WF West’s girls defeated Aberdeen, 104-44.
For full meet results, visit www.athletic.net/TrackAndField/MeetResults.aspx?Meet=364874&show=all.
