Naselle and Wahkiakum face off for KM Trophy

Naselle and Wahkiakum battled it out for the KM Trophy on Tuesday, March 31. It was the Comets' day, as they won in both baseball and softball in their first season matchup against the Mules.

On the baseball diamond, Naselle was down early before surging ahead in the final three innings. For the softball squad, the script was the opposite, with the Comets streaming out ahead but hanging on to the lead down the stretch as the Mules kept kicking.

Baseball

Wahkiakum shot out to an early lead, powered by solid hitting, including a lead-off double from Parker Leitz. After stealing third, Leitz made it home off a single from Matthew Wills. Aiden Scott added a double, and Wills scored after a flyout. Scott scored after a single from Hank Wilson to give the Mules a 3-0 lead. It was three up, three down for Naselle in the bottom of the frame, and Wahkiakum added two more runs in the second. Courtesy of Scott's single and a fielder's choice, the Mules had a 5-0 advantage. In the bottom of the second, Naselle got on the board, with Brodie Troffer getting on base with a double to start the inning and eventually scoring off a single from Marvin Tucker. Kyle Pakenen would score one more run for the Comets, bringing the score to 5-2.

After a quiet third inning, things erupted in the fourth. Wahkiakum improved their lead to 6-2 off a solo homer by Scott to lead off the inning. However, when Naselle stepped up to the plate in the bottom of the inning, the momentum shifted.

Naselle scored five runs in the inning, taking control of the game. Blythe Engelson led off the inning with a single, one of his four hits on the day. Kyle Eastham then reached base on a single with one out. Scott Henington sent Engelson home with a bunt to get the scoring started. From there, it was a parade to the plate. In a series that included a single, a walk, and two batters being hit by pitches, Naselle erased the deficit, finishing the inning with a 7-6 lead.

The Comets wouldn't look back from there. After scoring five runs in the fourth, Naselle added six in the fifth. Henington notched a single and a double in the inning, driving in two runs. Hits from Leith Chadwick and Engelson also sent runners home. Coming out of the fifth, Naselle had a commanding 13-6 lead. They would add one more in the sixth and close out Wahkiakum in the top of the seventh. Both teams had their share of strong performances. Scott and Leitz each had three hits for the Mules, with Scott totaling three RBI. For Naselle, Engelson's four-hit, three-RBI day led the way, followed closely by Henington, who had three hits and three RBI. Trajen Ford pitched the entire seven innings for the Comets, striking out six batters and giving up four earned runs.

Despite the loss, Wahkiakum bounced back in its next three games, beating Raymond/South Bend 11-1 on Thursday, April 2, and winning a doubleheader against Ocosta on Friday, April 3, by scores of 15-7 and 5-3, which brought the Mules to their current record of 4-3.

For Naselle, they played just once after the win over the Mules, blowing out Oakville 24-0 on Friday, April 3, to improve to 6-0. The Comets played against Ilwaco on Tuesday, April 7, but the result of the game was unknown at the time of press.

Softball

In the KM Trophy softball game, Naselle started hot, jumping out 8-0 after the second inning. Brooke Davis got things rolling in the first, singling in the first at-bat of the afternoon, and Addie Dalton drew first blood, driving a double into left field and scoring two runs for the Comets. In the second, another lead-off single was smacked by Emily Wirkkala, setting the tone for the inning. Davis would send her home with a fly ball double to center field, Avrey Ford knocked another double, with Lili Ford scoring during the at-bat to put the Comets up 4-0. The next at-bat brought another Naselle score, with Jessie Smith singling to third base and Avrey Ford scoring. Smith stole home to make it 6-0, and a single by Haylee Rose sent two runners home to cap off the inning.

Wahkiakum got on the board in the third inning when Zoe Doiron drove in two runs with a well-hit single to right field, making the score 8-2. Unfortunately for Wahkiakum, the eight-run lead would be restored in the bottom of the frame, with Lili Ford stealing home and Smith grabbing another single to send Avrey Ford home. Wahkiakum would come up with its own hijinks on the basepaths in the fourth, as Macie Helms scored on a passed ball, and Amy Horman stole second and third. Horman then completed her thievery on the basepaths by stealing home to score Wahkiakum's fourth run of the day. After four innings, the score stood 4-10 in favor of Naselle.

Helms would create more offense for the Mules in the fifth, with a single that allowed two more runners to score after Naselle committed errors. Helms, along with Doiron, led the way at the plate for Wahkiakum with two hits each. Doiron was responsible for three RBI, and Helms batted in one.

With Wahkiakum now trailing 6-10, Naselle kept the pressure on. One of the highlights was a solo home run from Avrey Ford in the bottom of the fifth. Avrey was on fire all day, with three hits in four at-bats. Her one RBI came from that solo home run smash. Dalton would add another run for Naselle in the fifth with a double, her third RBI of the day.

The top of the sixth saw Wahkiakum add two runs thanks to great patience at the plate, as four consecutive walks in a row netted the Mules their seventh run. They would bring the score to 8-12 on the next at-bat with a ground out, allowing Ryen Hurley to score.

Naselle added to its total in the bottom of the sixth, with Lili Ford singling to get Rose home, but Wahkiakum didn't give up despite the five-run difference. The Mules scored three more runs in the top of the seventh, thanks to a Doiron single and a sacrifice groundout. With the score standing at 13-11 with one out and two on base, Doiron tried to steal home but was called out. A strikeout allowed Naselle to escape with the KM Trophy in their grasp. Smith, Rose, and Avrey Ford were the standouts for Naselle, with three hits each.

In the next games, Naselle bashed Oakville in a doubleheader, beating them 18-0 and 20-5 on Friday, April 3. However, a matchup with Clatskanie proved a bigger challenge, as the Tigers beat the Comets 19-8 on Monday, April 6. The result of Naselle's game against Ilwaco on Tuesday, April 7 was unavailable at the time of press.

For Wahkiakum, their next game was a 19-9 win over La Center, bringing the Mules' record to 3-3 through six games. Wahkiakum will be back at the plate on Tuesday, April 14, against Taholah.