Tigers regroup following loss

The Clatskanie Tigers baseball team faced Knappa three times last week. The first of the three meetings took place on the road Tuesday, May 6, where the Tigers outmatched the Loggers 7-1. Clatskanie was led at the plate by junior Luke Andreasen, who had two hits and two RBI. Junior Finn McDonnell had a hit, a run scored, and an RBI, and senior Victor Frank came away with a hit and an RBI. Seniors Ben Blackwood, Carter White, and Brendan Shroll combined for three hits and two runs scored, and juniors Cash Doney and Zach Mollenhour combined for one run, two hits, and an RBI. Junior Bode Shulda had the lone stolen base of the day for the Tigers. From the mound, Andreasen, Mollenhour, and Shroll combined for eight strikeouts, and no earned runs over seven innings, with Shroll earning the win.

Friday saw the Tigers’ 10-game winning streak come to an end with a 9-1 home loss to the Loggers in the first game of a doubleheader. Knappa jumped on Clatskanie for three runs in the first and then added another three in both the fourth and seventh innings to secure the victory. McDonnell had the lone RBI of the game and Andreasen scored the team’s only run. Mollenhour stole two bases to lead the Tigers in the losing effort. The second game of the doubleheader saw Clatskanie get back on its winning ways, as the Tigers scored the go ahead run in the bottom of the sixth inning to defeat the Loggers 6-5. Six defensive errors on the game by Knappa proved costly, as Clatskanie scored three times in the bottom of the third and added a run in each of the fourth, fifth, and sixth innings. Due to all the errors, Andreasen delivered the lone RBI of the game. Blackwood, Doney, McDonnell, Mollenhour, Shulda, and freshman Will Van Voorst all scored a run each for the Tigers, and Shroll, Mollenhour, Blackwood, and McDonnell each had a stolen base in the winning effort. Mollenhour pitched a complete game for the Tigers, striking out four while allowing only two earned runs over seven innings.

Clatskanie won for the 12th time in 13 games Tuesday, May 13, with a mercy-rule 11-0 victory over Gaston. Scoring in every inning but the third, the Tigers were led at the plate by McDonnell, who had four RBI on two hits. Doney knocked in three runs on two hits and scored three runs as well, and Andreasen added two RBI, a hit, and a run scored. Van Voorst and Shulda scored two runs a piece and had three hits between them, and Shroll had a team-high three stolen bases. Sophomores Mike Simpson and Gunner Engen contributed as well in the victory, with Simpson collecting a hit and Engen grabbing a stolen base. Shroll and Shulda combined for the shutout, striking out two while allowing only two hits and walking none.

Clatskanie (15-4) returns home Friday, May 16, to host two games against Gaston beginning at 3 p.m. With a league record of 11-1, the Tigers are first in 2A/1A-SD1 Special District 1.