Titans Edged by 1A Powerhouse Cruisers

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Pe Ell-Willapa Valley held Class 1A powerhouse Eatonville scoreless for three innings but the Cruisers’ offense finally woke up as the Titans took a 11-10 loss in eight innings at home Monday in a non-league bout.

The Titans led 2-0 after three innings and 6-1 after four innings, but the Cruisers — who smashed four home runs — scored four times in the fifth and five runs in the top of the eighth to fend off PWV.

“Normally, if you get 10 hits, you have a pretty good chance to get a win — but not against Eatonville,” PWV coach Ken Olson said. “They can flat-out hit. They were putting constant pressure on us.”

Eighth grader Lauren Matlock crushed an eighth-inning grand slam to pull the Titans within one run. She finished 2 for 5 with five RBIs. Olivia Matlock was 2 for 5 with a double, while Ava Bush was 2 for 4 and Grace Huber finished 1 for 3.

Eatonville out-hit PWV 15-10 and both teams committed four errors. Olson praised Huber for her defensive performance in the outfield, and Matlock for making a tough catch in centerfield during the eight inning to halt Eatonville’s rally.

“We made a couple mistakes but, overall, we played solid defense and hit well enough,” Olson said. “Maybe not enough, though, with runners in scoring position.

“But it was a great test for us to play a top team in the 1A classification. This game allowed us to get both Olivia and Dani Shannon some mound time which will help down the road.”

Pe Ell-Willapa Valley next hosts Adna in a non-league game at noon on Saturday. The game may be moved to 3 p.m. on Friday due to weather.