Walla Walla and Prairie Baseball Academy split a collegiate baseball doubleheader Sunday at Warriors Field on the Walla Walla Community College campus.
The Warriors claimed the first game 8-0 but lost the nightcap 9-4 to see their season record settle at 6-4.
“I thought we did a good job of swinging the bats in situations today,” WWCC coach Dave Meliah said. “We moved some runners around and got guys in when we got them in scoring position. And Jarrod Molnaa did a great of owning the strike zone,” Meliah added of his starting pitcher in the first game.
Molnaa was relieved by Carson Woolery in the seventh and Austin Haughton worked the ninth as the trio combined on a five-hit shutout.
“But our defense let us down in the second game,” Meliah said, referencing five WWCC errors. “And our pitchers hit three batters and walked three over the last four innings. It’s tough to win doing that.”
Taylor Brooks had three base hits and Jacob Haas and Futa Ikuma added two each to account for seven of the Warriors’ nine hits in the first-game victory. Robby Heiberg, Colton Peha and Quentin Lafontaine had two hits each in the second game for the Walla Wallans.
The Warriors face two more home doubleheaders this coming weekend before opening Northwest Athletic Conference East Region play on March 29.
WWCC entertains Linn-Benton in an 11 a.m. twin bill Saturday and hosts Grays Harbor for two games Sunday, also with an 11 a.m. start. Big Bend’s Vikings come to town for the East Region opener, also a doubleheader slated for 1 p.m.
“We are taking steps in the right direction of being the type of team that we want to be,” Meliah said.
