The Omak Pioneers did not have enough players to field a team last season. This year, they have a new coach and are giving it a go. Certainly, they will take their lumps in the competitive Caribou Trail League.
At Cascade last Saturday, the Kodiaks swept a doubleheader against Omak, 11-1 and 14-4. Both games ended due to the 10-run mercy rule.
“Regardless of the team, whether they are good or just trying to build, it’s never about who you are playing, it is about playing against the baseball. You still have to be disciplined as a hitter to find good pitches to swing at. I thought we did that really well. I didn’t see us chasing or being overly aggressive,” said Cascade Head Coach Mike Kelly.
Cascade jumped right on the Pioneers with five runs in the first inning. The Kodiaks had a run in the second and five more in the third. The game ended after five innings.
Senior Max Gilbert pitched 4 innings, giving up no earned runs, with 8 strikeouts and no walks. Senior Dane Williams pitched 1 inning, with 2 strikeouts.
Freshman Mason Kelly went 3-for-4 with 2 runs and an RBI. Williams was 2-for-3 with a run and 3 RBIs. Senior Wyatt Guthrie was 1-for-2 with 2 runs and an RBI.
“We took advantage of the good pitches. We drove a lot of balls hard today. We played our game. They put some balls in play. Our pitchers had to make pitches. We had to do those things well,” Kelly said.
Cascade had 11 runs on 7 hits with 3 errors. Kelly feels his team will get better defensively as the season moves along.
“A lot of it is just reps. We haven’t even been outside a week. We are improving. There are still some places or situations we are still looking to solidify, depending on whose pitching. We have depth at almost every position,” Kelly said. “For the most part, we had a couple balls that were poorly thrown or misplayed at first base in the first game. Outfield did a good job, although their work was limited. We’ll get better with more reps. In the past, it was we had we had.”
In the second game, Cascade scored four runs in the first inning, two in the third and 3 in the fourth. Omak rallied for 4 runs in the top of the sixth. Cascade responded with 5 runs in the bottom of the frame to end the game on the mercy rule.
Cascade had 14 runs on 14 hits with 3 errors. Omak had 4 runs on 5 hits with 5 errors. Sophomore southpaw Conrad Hasse pitched 4 innings, giving up 1 hit, no runs with 7 strikeouts. Freshman Hunter Reinhart pitched 2 innings, giving 3 hits, 2 earned runs with 4 strikeouts and a walk.
Reinhart is one of several freshman in key roles for the Kodiaks, including Mason Kelly, Ben Sunitsch and Wyatt Lambert.
“In the first game, we started four freshman in the infield, including a freshman behind the dish. They didn’t play like freshman. They did a pretty darn good job. They are managing the emotion pretty well,” Kelly said.
Williams went 2-for-3 with 2 runs and 3 RBIs. Sophomore Nate McMahon was 2-for-3 with a run and 2 RBIs. Hasse was 2-for-3 with 3 runs and an RBI. Kelly was 2-for-4 with 2 runs and an RBI.
Cascade improved to 2-0 in league play and 3-1 overall. Omak dropped to 0-3 in league and 0-4 overall. The Kodiaks hosted Chelan on March 28. Results were not available before press time. On Saturday, Cascade hosts a double header against Okanogan.
“We have a busy, competitive week. Chelan is always tough. We always struggle with them. We only have three returners that have varsity experience, so most of the guys don’t know any of that,” Kelly said. “I’m hoping Tuesday has a different feel. I’m looking forward to Okanogan. Having them back in the league makes us better. I know Okanogan is young, so it will be exciting to see what the future looks like for them.”
Ian Dunn can be reached at 548-5286 or editor@leavenworthecho.com.
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