The Napavine baseball team took a big early lead and blew it Wednesday in Cowlitz County, but made sure its second blow was a knockout punch, beating Kalama 21-12 in a game shortened to six innings due to darkness.
The Tigers racked up 14 hits and drew 16 walks, while Kalama helped them out with six errors. Ashton Demarest led the way at the plate going 5 for 6 with a double, six RBIs, and three runs scored. Conner Homes went 4 for 5 with a walk and four RBIs, stole three bases, and scored six runs, while Austin Chapman and Hudson Chambers both added two hits apiece.
Napavine jumped out to a 9-0 lead, with a run in the first inning, four in the second, and four in the third, but ran into trouble in the bottom of the third inning. Demarest, who put up two shutout frames to start the game, only got one out into the third before being pulled, finishing with just two hits given up but seven walks allowed. Holmes didn’t have a better time, getting the second out of the inning but then walking five straight.
By the time the Tigers got out of the nightmare inning, it was tied 9-9. But Chambers located and reattached the wheels to Napavine’s bus, striking out six and only allowing three hits and three walks the rest of the way on the hill.
The stability on the mound set the table for the Napavine offense, and after the Tigers scratched a run across in the top of the fifth to retake the lead, they exploded for 11 in the top of the sixth. Kalama answered with three unearned runs, but it was far too little, too late.
Napavine is set to take on Kalama once more at home Thursday, should the weather cooperate.
