Holding on for dear life with the tying run at third and the winning run at second, the Rainier baseball team picked up its first win of the season against Wahkiakum at home Friday afternoon, 7-6.
The Mountaineers broke up a 1-1 tie in the bottom of the fourth inning, dropping a 5-spot to take a commanding lead before adding some insurance in the sixth to build up a somewhat comfortable 7-1 lead heading into the seventh.
But six straight walks changed the game in a hurry, and before the Mountaineers knew it, they saw a six-run lead trimmed to just one with the bases loaded and two away.
Stepping in calmly to record the final two outs, however, Dayton Gardner induced a groundout to help the Mountaineers to their first win and record a save from the bullpen.
Though Rainier only allowed six hits, 19 walked batters kept the Mules within striking distance late.
At the plate, John Kenney, Jake Meldrum, and Gavin Owen each recorded multi-hit days, with Kenney scoring a pair of runs with a double and Meldrum knocking in a run. Gardner also knocked in two runs on a base hit.
Kenney got the starting nod on the hill and went 4 2/3 innings with just four hits allowed and one earned run with five strikeouts and nine walks.
The Mountaineers will look to build on the win, heading to Cathlamet Saturday for a rematch with the Mules at Noon.
