Titans Fall in Naselle

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The Pe Ell-Willapa Valley baseball team took an early lead but ran into the rare instance of an individual effort winning a game nearly by itself, with Naselle’s Kolten Lindstrom powering the Comets to a 7-2 win over the Titans.

After PWV went up 2-0 in the top of the third, Lindstrom came to the plate with a runner on in the bottom of the frame and launched a home run to tie things up. Then he went to the mound in the top of the fourth and threw four no-hit innings in relief, with the only two PWV runners the rest of the way coming on a dropped third strike and an error. 

Naselle scored two runs in the bottom of the fifth to take the lead, before Lindstrom got back to it at the plate as well, hitting his second home run — this one a three-run shot — to seal things.

“It was an all-around solid baseball game,” PWV coach Kent Smaciarz said. “We just ran into a one-man wrecking ball named Kolten Lindstrom. He came in and stopped our momentum from the mound and the box. But I’m proud of the way we competed.” 

Connor Keeton had the only Titan RBI on a single in the second inning, after Riley Pearson scored on a passed ball. Blake Howard went 2 for 4 at the top of the order to lead the Titans in the hit column.

Garrett Keeton started on the mound for PWV and struck out eight in 4 ⅓ innings, allowing three runs on two hits and five walks. Connor Keeton took over midway through the fifth and got the final five outs, allowing four more runs.

PWV will face Forks for a pair of games next Tuesday at home.