High School Baseball: Clatskanie stakes out late lead in league race
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Luke Roth (Mid-Major Media) special to BlastZoneMedia.com / blastzonenews@gmail.com
OSAA Prep Baseball / Roundup
Tigers slide by Knappa in next-door series
The Clatskanie baseball team made a major statement in Special District 1 play last week, sweeping Knappa in dominant fashion to stay in control of the league race.
The Tigers opened the series Tuesday with a 13-0 home win in five innings, then traveled to Knappa on Friday and completed the sweep with a 14-5 win in Game 1 of the doubleheader and an 11-0 victory in five innings in Game 2.
With the sweep, and a 13-0 win over Gaston at home on Tuesday, Clatskanie (13-5) now sits at 9-1 in Special District 1 play, one game ahead of Portland Christian (12-8, 8-2) for first place.
“Knappa had always been tough, and this past week we were able to take advantage of them struggling with command and got a lot of free bases,” Clatskanie head coach Ryan Tompkins said.
“Our pitchers were very efficient and our defense had settled in and played very complimentary.”
That formula showed up throughout the series. Clatskanie drew 33 walks across the three games and consistently put pressure on Knappa’s pitching staff and defense.
Clatskanie sits at No. 6 in the latest Mid-Major Media rankings and No. 10 in the OSAA State Rankings. The Tigers face Gaston again on the road later this week, before closing the regular season next week with a key series against Portland Christian that will likely decide the league title.
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