Baseball
Big inning dooms Raiders, blurs playoff picture
Avoiding the dreaded big inning is a mantra preached across all spectrums of baseball, particularly at the prep level.
Reed was unable to avoid the sizeable frame on Thursday at McQueen and saw its playoff aspirations take a blow with a 7-4 loss.
The Raiders (12-17, 8-10) entered in a four-way tie for the seventh place and left in a three-way tie for eighth. The top eight teams advance to the regional tournament. The Lancers (13-15, 10-8) now sit in a tie for fifth with Damonte Ranch.
Trailing 3-1 in the bottom of the fifth, Reed allowed two of the first three batters to reach via error. The next batter up, Drew Clark, who also threw a complete-game in the win, ripped a two-run triple which amounted to the game winner.
Clark scored two batters later on a Jake Phillips RBI single to make the score 6-1. Clark (2-for-4, three RBIs) drove in the Lancers’ final run of the afternoon with an RBI single in the bottom of the sixth.
The Raiders scored three times in the top of the seventh – two runs coming on a Miah Harmon two-run triple and the third on an RBI groundout – before falling for the third time in four games.
Will Bannister earned the start and wore the loss, allowing six runs (three earned) on six hits over 4.1 innings. He struck out four and did not walk a batter.
All four runs charged to Clark were earned. He surrendered six hits, struck out seven and walked four.
The Raiders took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second on a Ryan Murphy RBI single. The Lancers retaliated with seven unanswered, starting with two in the bottom of the third.
Reed hosts last-place Hug on Saturday for a doubleheader starting at 11 a.m.
Spanish Springs routs Hug
Make it 10.
Spanish Springs ballooned its winnings streak to double digits on Thursday with an 18-3 three-inning win at Hug.
The Cougars (19-4, 15-3) are still tied with Reno atop the 4A North. The Hawks (2-24, 0-18) lost their 13th straight.
Dawson Martin (2-for-3, four RBIs, two runs), Joey Prizina (3-for-4, three RBIs, two runs) and Carter Zuro (2-for-3, two RBIs, run) all went deep in the win.
Tristian Hussey went 2-for-3 with a double, four RBIs and scored twice.
Casey Miller struck out the side in a scoreless inning of relief and was awarded the win.
Spanish Springs returns home on Saturday for a doubleheader with Reno (24-4, 15-3) that’s dripping with league title implications. The Huskies have won nine straight.
Spanish Springs wraps up the regular season next week with two games against Reed while Reno will play McQueen twice.
Softball
Raiders close in on 20 straight
Reed’s winning streak reached 19 games on Thursday with an 8-0 win at Wooster.
Jon Wunder opted to start several backups as the Raiders (24-2-1, 14-2) preserved their place in a three-way tie for first place (with Spanish Springs and Bishop Manogue). The Colts sunk to 4-19, 4-11.
Julia Jensen strengthened her case for Pitcher of the Year, striking out 16, walking no one, and allowing just two hits over six innings to pick up the victory.
Madison Zucco went 2-for-2 with a home run and two runs scored. Senior catcher Rheanna Smith’s two-out, two-run single in the last ups accounted for the final runs of the afternoon.
Reed will host McQueen on Saturday for a doubleheader starting at 11 a.m.
Cougs keep pace
The Cougars broke open a 5-3 contest with a seven-run seventh to pull out a 12-3 win at Damonte Ranch on Thursday afternoon, their fifth straight victory.
Spanish Springs (22-5, 14-2) is still deadlock with Bishop Manogue and Reed in the driver’s seat of the 4A North. Damonte Ranch dipped to 12-10, 9-7.
Freshman Tyra Clary went the distance to bag the win. All three runs she allowed were earned, on eight hits. She struck out seven and only walked one.
Clary also helped her own cause at the dish, going 4-for-5 with a double and RBI.
Rylee Retzer finished 3-for-5 with an RBI and run scored as the Cougs outhit the Mustangs 18-8.
The seventh inning rally featured seven hits (all singles) and benefited from a pair of Damonte Ranch errors.
Spanish Springs does not play Saturday. It was scheduled to play a doubleheader with Hug, but the Hawks stopped playing early in the season due to a shortage of players. Instead, they will wait until Tuesday when they play at Reno.
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