NAPAVINE — With spring break officially in the rear view mirror, league play in the Central 2B League is underway, and Napavine wasted zero time getting in the win column on Monday.
Napavine blitzed out to a big lead and never looked back on their home diamond, rolling past Onalaska for an 18-0 five-inning victory.
The game was originally scheduled to take place in Onalaska, but was moved to Napavine because of field conditions in Onalaska.
As a result, despite hosting, the Tigers came to the plate first, and they scored twice in the opening frame despite two of the first three batters striking out. Lyla Kirkpatrick knocked in the first run with an RBI single, and she came around to score on an error later in the inning.
“There was a lot of offspeed stuff early,” Napavine coach Josh Fay said, crediting Onalaska’s Braelyn Babb for her changeup. “We worked on that in the cage the last few days … Our bats down the line did a pretty good job of making that adjustment.”
The Tigers added three in the second on an error and a two-run double from Hannah Fay, and they added three more in the third on RBI singles from Tarynn Dalebout, Dakota Lyons, and Taylen Evander.
Napavine blew the game open with an eight-run fourth that included RBI knocks from Dalebout, Hayden Kaut, and Clara Fay. Paytin Wheeler and Kirkpatrick also drew walks with the bases loaded.
Clara Fay and Dalebout both finished with three RBIs, while Kaut, Hannah Fay, and Kirkpatrick ended the afternoon with two each.
Twelve Tigers picked up base hits in the win, led by Clara Fay’s three and Dalebout’s two.
On the other side, Onalaska struggled offensively. The Loggers managed just one hit, a Jaelyn Auman double, and drew just one walk. Lyons pitched all five innings for Napavine, and she only needed 47 pitches to do so.
“I just basically (said) to keep their chins up,” Onalaska coach Brette Strodmeier said. “They can take this, and they can build off it and create the season that they want to have at the end. The goal is always districts and state, and they’ll hopefully keep pushing and working towards that.”
Onalaska (5-3, 0-1 C2BL) will look to bounce back in Randle against Morton/White Pass on Thursday.
While Monday’s matchup is just one of eight league games, Josh Fay was pleased to kickstart league play with a victory. The Tigers (8-1, 1-0 C2BL) will host Tenino in a non-league game on Wednesday, but then they will welcome Adna in a massive C2BL tilt on Thursday.
“They all count,” Josh Fay said. “They all matter trying to seed in that district tournament. The higher you can finish, the better off things are gonna be.”
