Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Like a ship attuned to charts and weather patterns, the Garfield/Palouse bus seeks favorable conditions to play baseball games.
On Saturday, April 14, set for a doubleheader at Colton, instead the bus pointed for Asotin, where a playable field allowed the team to get in two losses to the Wildcats. On Tuesday, scheduled to play at Touchet, the bus again tacked, this time to Pomeroy, to meet Touchet on another neutral, dry-enough field for an 11-1 win.
Gar/Pal (5-4) now holds third place in the Southeast 1B league, behind first-place Colton and Pomeroy.
Playing Colton at Asotin, the Vikings went down 11-0 and 11-1.
“It didn’t go the way we hoped,” said Gar/Pal coach Mike Jones. “But we got the games in.”
Evan Weagraff opened the first on the mound, throwing two innings before Austin Jones was summoned for the next three innings. The game was called in the fifth on account of the 10-run rule.
“Colton hits the ball well, plays good, fundamental baseball,” said Coach Jones.
Weagraff led Gar/Pal at the plate, going 1 for 2 with a base hit while Kyle Bankus and Logan Deitz also hit singles.
Colton had eight hits in the win including a home run and three RBIs from Reece Chadwick and a 2 for 3 outing by Jon Bean.
In game two, the score stayed close until the fifth inning as Blake Jones pitched for Gar/Pal, throwing seven strikeouts and no walks. He reached his pitch count in the fifth and the Vikings gave up four runs in the inning and five in the sixth.
Tom Wolf went 3 for 4 to lead Colton batters while Parker Druffel went 2 for 4.
For Gar/Pal, Blake Jones had one RBI-hit and Weagraff also hit a single.
Garfield/Palouse 11, Touchet 1
The Vikings handled Touchet April 17 as Blake Jones went 3 for 3 at the plate with four RBIs, Seth Thompson was 3 for 3 with two doubles and a triple and five RBIs and Austin Jones went 2 for 2 with a walk and three runs scored. Blake Jones was 3 for 3 with a triple and two singles with four RBIs.
Weagraff pitched for Gar/Pal, throwing nine strikeouts and two walks, allowing two hits and a run. The game was called in the fifth inning.
The Vikings are now scheduled to play on Saturday, April 21, at home (Garfield) vs. second-place Pomeroy for a doubleheader. Start time is 11 a.m.
“That’ll be a couple big games for us,” said Coach Jones. “We’d like to get at least one from them.”
Another home date follows against St. John/Endicott/LaCrosse Tuesday, April 24, at 5 p.m.
Garth Meyer is a former Whitman County Gazette reporter.
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