WHITE SALMON — Columbia High’s modest winning streak ended last week when La Center swept the Bruins in a two-game Trico League baseball series.
The losses left Columbia (6-11 overall, 5-7 league) in a two-way tie with Castle Rock (10-7, 5-7) for fourth place in the Trico. The Bruins finish the regular season this week with a two-game series against winless Stevenson: May 5 at Stevenson and May 7 in White Salmon. Gametime is 5 p.m. both days and a spot in the district playoffs it at stake. Castle Rock is scheduled to host Kalama on May 6 in a double-header.
“This week, we have an incredibly important week,” Columbia Coach William Gross said.
“Not only is Stevenson our rivals, but we are fighting for a district playoff spot. Depending on how the games go this week, we can clinch a playoff spot as early as Wednesday, with the chance of playing a winner to districts, loser out pigtail game at home on Friday.”
That potential Friday game would be against a team from the Evergreen League to determine the last district playoff spot.
Gross said: “I’m very excited for our team and players to be able to have the opportunity to make the district playoffs, a goal that we set as a team at the beginning of the season.”
Game one of the Columbia-La Center series, a 12-0 La Center win, saw Columbia struggle at the plate with four hits, while the Wildcats pounded 11. A five-run opening inning proved to be all La Center needed.
Seth White was 2-for-2 to lead Columbia at the plate; Kai Brasuell and Bryce Wang added a hit each.
Three La Center pitchers combined to throw a two-hitter in the second game of the series, an 8-3 Wildcat win. Columbia’s hits came from Brasuell and White, who also knocked in a run. La Center never trailed in the game, taking a 4-0 lead after two innings.
“We played a much more competitive game on Thursday of last week,” CHS Coach William Gross said. “We faced one of the tougher pitchers we have seen all year.”
Freshman Garrick Sauter started on the mound, giving up three earned runs in 32/3 innings while striking out five. Deegan Bearden relieved him for 31/3 innings, giving up one run and striking out three. Gross said: “I was very impressed with how Sauter and Bearden pitched against a top five team in the state.”
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