Tacoma picked up a pair of wins over Centralia on Saturday at the RAC in Lacey to finish off a four-game weekend sweep in NWAC West Conference baseball action.
“Tough weekend playing a very high level ball club in Tacoma,” Centralia coach Ben Harley said. “We had our opportunities to score, and we have to capitalize when we have runners in scoring position.”
The Blazers (10-16, 0-8 conference) host Lower Columbia for a 1 p.m. doubleheader on Saturday.
Saturday’s Games
A trio of Tacoma pitchers held the Trailblazers scoreless and scattered seven hits to win the opener, 8-0, then slipped out with a 1-0 win in the late game.
Casen Taggart went 2 for 4 with a double and Matthew Beckworth was 2 for 4 to pace Centralia at the dish. Nick Geertsen took the loss on the mound, working four innings with five strikeouts, five hits and three earned runs.
Tacoma, however, got six innings out of winning pitcher Trent Buchanan, who scattered four hits and fanned four. The Titan staff didn’t issue a walk in the win.
Tacoma scored Game 2’s only run in the top of the first inning. Jackson VanDeBrake singled in the first inning and came around to score when the Blazers threw to second to catch a base-stealing runner.
Neither team walked a batter. Taggart, Bennett Comes, Matthew Osberg and James Nelson all singled for Centralia.
Matthew Obst tossed all seven innings for the Blazers, allowing seven hits and a single earned run with 10 strikeouts.
Friday’s Games
Centralia managed just one hit against Tacoma in a 2-0 road loss in Friday’s opener, then found a bit more success at the plate but not on the scoreboard in a 7-0 loss in the nightcap.
The Blazers’ offense was stagnant throughout Game 1, striking out a total of 10 times and getting a lone hit from Kadin Miller (1 for 3). Matt Obst walked twice and Matt Beckworth and Aaron Peters each walked once.
Keegan Adams went all six innings for the Blazers, striking out two and allowing two earned runs on four hits, one walk and one solo home run.
Tacoma’s Isaac Evaniew fanned seven batters while allowing just one hit across six scoreless innings.
In Game 2, the Blazers managed five hits but couldn’t string enough together to plate any runs in a 7-0 loss.
It spoiled a solid outing from Derek Beairsto, who fanned 13 batters while allowing five earned runs on four hits across six innings.
Offensively, Andrew Dalton led by going 2 for 3 at the plate. Casen Taggert was 1 for 3, Jaden Fulsher was 1 for 1 and Rivery Terry went 1 for 4.
