Freshman Hunter Chambers slugged his first collegiate home run and Gibson McGeorge, Jake Leavey, and Chambers stroked three hits each as Walla Walla routed Grays Harbor 17-1 in the second game of community college baseball doubleheader Sunday at Warriors Field.
The Warriors also won the opener 4-2 and used the sweep to hike their season record to 5-3.
The Warriors lashed out 31 hits in Sunday’s twin bill, but coach Dave Meliah was equally pleased with his pitchers.
“I thought both of our starting pitchers threw the ball well,” Meliah said. “They were ahead in the counts for the most part an almost every hitter, and that spells success with being able to dictate the at-bat.”
Jake Simmons pitched six shutout innings in the first game, allowing three hits, striking out three and not walking a batter. Levi Rudolph pitched the seventh for WWCC and yielded a two-run home run to the Chokers’ Gunner Godfrey, with Levi Smith working two hitless frames to garner the save.
In the lopsided nightcap, Griffin Davis started on the hill and allowed one hit over four innings with five strikeouts and no walks. Brady Simmelink, Caleb Custer and Conner Morfin each pitched one inning of relief.
Blake Macdonald stroked a double and two singles and drove home a pair of runs in the first game for Walla Walla. Clayten Ayers singled twice and drove in a run and Jarod Paul contributed an RBI double.
The Warriors took the suspense out of the second game by scoring nine runs in the bottom of the first inning.
In addition to Chambers’ solo home run, Austin Kopacz tripled and doubled and drove in one run. And Ryan Riepma, Cameron Walker, Macdonald and Conner Bryant all slugged doubles.
Chambers finished with three RBIs and three runs scored, Leavey added three singles, two ribbies and one run, and McGeorge singled three times, scored three times and knocked in a pair of runs.
“It’s always fun to see guys get their swings in,” Meliah said of his team’s offensive display. “There were lots of balls hit hard all over the field.”
The Warriors resume their homestand to begin the season this coming weekend with a pair of doubleheaders. Lower Columbia will invade Warriors Field Saturday for an 11 a.m. twin bill and Green River comes to town Sunday for two games, also beginning at 11.
