When it rains it pours for the White River High baseball team.
That adage played out in a good way Thursday, as the Hornets turned in a big-hit performance, 12 to be exact, that drowned Peninsula 18-7 in a South Puget Sound League 3A makeup game.
The Hornets followed it up with a 5-3 win Friday over Lakes to give themselves a 2-1 South Puget Sound League 3A record, 3-1 overall, heading into contests Monday and Tuesday. Results of those contests with Franklin Pierce and Timberline were not available at press time but will be posted at www.courierherald.com.
Friday’s game was only the third league of the season the Hornets had been able to sneak in since the season started March 14. The Hornets also suffered a 3-1 loss to Auburn Mountainview March 25.
Starting hurler Jeremy Hoffman shut down the Lancers in the first four innings of play Friday, while the Hornet offense put together a 2-0 lead when Mike Anastasi sacrificed Payden Lamb across the plate and Dustin Stroud singled in Connor Williams. White River pushed the score to 4-0 in the third on Williams and Stroud sacrifice flies.
A moment of sloppy defense let Lakes make a game of it, scoring three runs in the fifth, but the Hornets hold them off, specifically Stroud, who came in to relieve Hoffman with the bases loaded and no outs. The Hornets picked up an insurance run in the bottom of the inning when Kameron Kujawa sacrificed in Williams.
A tenacious White River defense slammed the door on a seventh-inning Lakes rally for the win.
The hitfest against the Seahawks started from the get-go when Lamb singled and Anastasi hit a dinger. Williams crossed the plate later and Daniel Smith singled to bring in Stroud and Chase Myers.
Hornet starting pitcher D.J. Reynolds did his part by shutting down the Seahawks.
The Hornets knocked in five more runs in the third inning and six in the fourth, including a third-inning home run from Trevor Lubking that also scored Smith. Anastasi scored Lamb with a double and Stroud doubled in Williams.
Myers and Hoffman had two-run singles to highlight the sixth inning. Stroud also picked up an RBI.
On the mound, Reynolds gave up his first run of the contest in the bottom of the second and allowed three more in the third. Dillon Meyers came in to toss a fourth-inning shutout before Daniel Smith came in to close.
Anastasi finished the day 3-for-4 with three runs and four RBI. Lubking went 1-for-3 from the plate, that one a homer, and knocked in two RBI. Myers went 2-for-3 with one run and three RBI. The Hornets also tallied five stolen bases.
The Hornets suffered a 3-1 setback March 25 at Auburn Mountainview, largely held in check by Lions’ ace Brandon Williams. Williams went six and two-thirds innings, fanning nine WRHS batters, but was nearly left on the mound a bit too long.
With two out in the top of the seventh, the Hornets loaded the bases and then scored their only run when Lamb was plunked by a pitch, scoring Myers. Williams was pulled and Mountainview reliever Steve Johnson struck out the only batter he faced to get the save.
Williams said the Hornets pitching, which gave up just five hits, and defense were great, but Williams’ flaming pitches in the mid-80s with a good change and curve was too much for his team.
Reach Brenda Sexton at bsexton@courierherald.com or 360-802-8206.
