3/8/14
WALLA WALLA — The Walla Walla Community College baseball team found two different ways to beat Olympic College here Saturday afternoon.
The Warriors won in a pitcher’s duel in game one, 4-1, and thumped the Rangers, 18-7, here in game two.
Walla Walla pitcher Brandon Costello threw seven strong innings of two-hit and one-run ball during his seven innings of work. AJ Carkner closed out the game from there, allowing only one hit over two innings.
Costello struck out one while walking two and Carkner struck out one and walked one.
In game two, the Warriors pitching catered to the offense. WWCC held an 11-0 lead after three innings and coasted to the 11-run win — despite giving up three home runs, two to Olympic’s Alex Sablan.
Kalani Omoto threw for the Warriors in game two and went six innings while allowing one run. He walked three and struck out three.
“I thought our starting pitchers did a nice job of pitching to contact and letting our defense make plays,” WWCC coach Dave Meliah said.
The Warriors pitching did give up six runs in the seventh frame with Corey Morris and Daniel Lake on the mound. WWCC surrendered two home runs in the frame, one to Sablan and the other to pinch hitter Ian Hollis.
The Warrior bats did the heavy lifting in game two, as WWCC put an astonishing 39 runners on base with 16 hits and 15 walks. Walla Walla also reached base on four hit-by-pitches and four fielders’ choices.
“They (Olympic) were struggling to throw strikes,” Meliah said. “But our guys were disciplined enough to not to swing at too many bad pitches out of the zone.”
“The first and second innings of game two we scored all of those runs with two outs,” he added. “Anytime you can put together those run with two outs, it is going to give us some confidence.”
In the first and second innings, WWCC put up seven total runs.
Meliah tabbed WWCC’s catcher, Dane Crater, with the biggest hit of that game.
“Crater had a three-RBI double that gave us the 5-0 lead early,” Meliah explained. “Then we kept tacking on runs and that is important because then if you make an error or two later, they won’t hurt nearly as much.”
Article by Dustin Holden of the Walla Walla Union-Bulletin
