Toledo went to Napavine for the first of two scheduled Central 2B League doubleheaders Monday, and the Riverhawks and Tigers split the day’s proceedings with the visitors winning Game 1 4-1 before losing 6-2 in a sequel shortened due to darkness.
Caiden Schultz put up his second straight gem to start the season for Toledo, allowing one run on three hits and striking out 12 Tigers in six innings of work. It’s already his second game getting into double-digits in the strikeout category.
For four innings, Napavine’s Connor Holmes was just as good on the hill, but the Tiger starter ran into trouble to start the fifth, putting a pair of runners on for free before getting the hook. Once the Riverhawks got into the Napavine bullpen, they thrived, with Geoffrey Glass smacking a 2-RBI triple to put the guests up 2-1 — both runs were charged to Holmes. Glass came around to score on a Rogan Stanley RBI single, and Stanley went around the bases on wild pitches to make it 4-1.
Rayder Stemkoski went 2 for 3 with a run scored at the top of the Toledo lineup, while Glass finished 2 for 4 and Stanley went 2 for 3. Across the field, Holmes went 2 for 3 with a walk, but the rest of the Napavine order managed just one hit.
Game 2 saw Toledo once again contain all of its offense in one inning, but this time around, Napavine’s offense kept scoring after its first run. The Tigers — designated as the away team — dropped three runs in the third inning, another in the fourth, and two more in the sixth, while Toledo scored just a pair in the third.
The Riverhawks managed just one hit against Ashton Demarest, who went for a shortened six-inning complete game, and committed five errors.
Austin Chapman went 2 for 3 with a walk, a double, an RBI, and a run scored to lead the Tigers on offense, while Cal Bullock added a hit and two walks, and Holmes scored twice after reaching twice on free passes.
“I really liked our compete in the second game,” Napavine coach Brian Demarest said. “We had too many mistakes in the first game, didn’t take advantage of an early lead. In the second game, Ashton pitched really well and our defense was good behind him. We just need to keep working and getting better every outing.”
Napavine will continue to run the early-season gauntlet in the C2BL, facing off against Toutle Lake in Toutle on Friday and at home Saturday. Toledo will have a similar setup, going to Rainier on Friday before facing the Mountaineers in Cheese Town on Saturday.