Carson Oil baseball off to a solid start

Hood River’s Legion baseball team, Carson Oil, is off to a solid start to the summer season. The team, which consists mainly of Hood River Valley High School players, has won five of seven games since the season started a couple of weeks ago.

“These kids have really come together early this summer,” Coach Jake Williams said. “They have been swinging the bats very well and they are improving every day. It’s a great group to work with.”

Williams, a former HRVHS and Carson Oil player, was an assistant coach for the Eagles this year and has taken the lead role on the summer team after the departure of former head coach Craig Webster.

The team will play mainly in tournaments this season, which will finalize in mid-July with the Legion A Tournament at Barlow. Last weekend they hosted a tournament at HRVHS, where the boys went 2-1 for a third-place finish. Stats from the games are below. They finished in third place the weekend before, as well, at The Dalles Tournament.

“I have really enjoyed watching these kids go to battle every game, knowing they have a chance to win every time they step between the lines,” Williams said. “Summer ball is super-beneficial because not only do these kids get to keep working on their game throughout the summer, but they also get to keep playing together with the same group that they were with all high school season. It seems we have a very cohesive unit with this group, and since most of them are going to be juniors, playing more together will make the high school team twice as competitive next year.”

The team will host four more games this season: June 26, 6 p.m. vs. Reynolds; June 28, 6 p.m. vs. White Salmon; and a double-header June 29, 3 p.m. vs. Crook County.

Hood River tournament highlights:

Vs. John Day —

John Day defeated Hood River in a nail-biter, 2-1. Elliott Sherrell pitched seven innings, giving up three hits and striking out three. Adam Coerper went 1 for three at bat with an RBI triple.

Vs. Lake Oswego —

The boys bounced back from their first-round loss to defeat Lake Oswego 10-5. Consistent hitting across the board and three home runs were big reasons for the victory. Robbie Kloster got the win from the mound with five strikeouts in seven innings. At-bat highlights include Thomas Nickel hitting 3-4 with three doubles, Sherrell hitting 2-3 with a home run and a double, Adam Williams hitting 2-4 with a home run and Coerper hitting 2-3 with a home run.

Vs. Barlow —

The boys ended the tournament on a high note with a 21-2 stomping of Barlow. Ryan Nelson pitched seven innings for the win. At bat, Sherrell and Williams had a home apiece and Jordan Bryant hit 3-4.