CENTRALIA — The Olympic Crosscutters opened the GSL College Showcase baseball tournament with a pair of well-played games that were lost in the final inning.
The Crosscutters lost 6-5 to the N.W. Star Dirtbags on Thursday afternoon and 5-2 to Seattle Stars Elite on Wednesday night.
After spotting N.W. Star four runs in the bottom of the first inning, Olympic answered with four of its own in the top of the second.
Dane Bradow opened the frame with a walk, then Daniel Harker was hit by a pitch and Jake Sparks walked to load the bases with no outs.
Another walk by Tyrus Beckett scored Bradow.
With two outs, Harker scored on an error, and Gavin Velarde singled home Sparks and Dillon McEdwards.
The scored stayed 4-4 until the top of the seventh when Harker scored on a balk to put the Cutters ahead 5-4.
The lead wouldn’t hold, though, as N.W. Star loaded the bases with no outs, walked home the tying run and a single by Caden Silva brought in Brandon Anderson for the winning run.
Harker and Blake Mann each had two hits for the Crosscutters, while Velarde, Eli Harrison, Ian Dennis and Austin Hilliard had one apiece.
Bradow relieved Lane Dotson with two outs in the first inning and held the Dirtbags scoreless in his 5 1/3 innings on the mound. He allowed two hits, struck out three and didn’t issue any walks.
Stars Elite 5, Crosscutters 2
CENTRALIA — It took seven innings for Seattle Stars Elite to figure out Olympic Crosscutters ace Nigel Christian at the GSL College Showcase at Borst Park on Wednesday.
Christian and the Cutters carried a 2-1 lead into the final inning, but the Stanwood-based Stars put up four runs in the top of the seventh.
In the thick of the rally for Seattle was Chimacum’s Henry Lovekamp, who singled and scored the go-ahead run.
Christian pitched all seven innings for Olympic, striking out seven and allowing eight hits and five runs.
The Sequim senior-to-be also tripled in the fourth inning and then stole home for the Crosscutters’ first run.
Logan Shaw, Lovekamp’s teammate at Chimacum, had two hits for Olympic, as did Bailey Earley and Dane Bradow.
Austin Hilliard, Tyrus Beckett, Lane Dotson and Cole Dotson each had one hit.
Lovekamp finished 2 for 5 with a double, two runs and a stolen base.
Between Shaw, Lovekamp and the two Dotsons, Chimacum players tallied six hits in Wednesday’s game.
The Crosscutters have today off before facing Showtime Junior Prep on Saturday at 10:30 a.m.
Thursday’s Game
N.W. Star 6, Crosscutters 5
Crosscutters 0 4 0 0 0 0 1 — 5 8 2
N.W. Star 4 0 0 0 0 0 2 — 6 6 2
WP- Snyder; LP- Faunce
Pitching Statistics
Crosscutters: L. Dotson 1 2/3 IP, 2 H, 4 R, 2 BB; Bradow 5 1/3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K; Faunce 0 IP, H, 4 R, BB, HBP; Harrison 0 IP, H.
N.W. Star: Butterfield 1 1/3 IP, 0 H, 4 R, 3 K, 4 BB; Snyder 5 2/3 IP, 8 H, R, 2 K, BB.
Hitting Statistics
Crosscutters: Harker 2-3, 2B, 2 R; Mann 2-3; Velarde 1-4, 2 RBI; Harrison 1-4; Dennis 1-2; Hilliard 1-2; Bradow 0-2, 2 BB, R; Sparks 0-1, BB, R.
N.W. Star: Whitnight 1-3, 2 RBI; Fagerness 1-3, 2B, R, RBI; Silva 1-4, R, RBI, SB; Lester 0-3, BB, R; Snyder 1-2, RBI; Dyer 1-3, R, SB; Anderson 1-4, R.
Wednesday’s Game
Stars 5, Crosscutters 2
Stars 0 0 0 0 1 0 4 — 5 8 0
Crosscutters 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 — 2 11 3
WP- Sewell; LP- Christian
Pitching Statistics
Stars: Macklin 4 IP, 8 H, R, 2 K, BB; Sewell 3 IP, 3 H, R, K, 2 BB.
Crosscutters: Christian 7 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 7 K, 4 BB.
Hitting Statistics
Stars: Lovekamp 2-5, 2B, R, SB; Stewart 2-4, R, 3 RBI, SB; Yerbury 1-2, 2B, 2 BB, R.
Crosscutters: Shaw 2-4; Bradow 2-3; Earley 2-3, SB; Christian 1-1, 3B, BB, R, SB; Hilliard 1-3; Beckett 1-3; L. Dotson 1-3; C. Dotson 1-3, BB; Velarde 0-3, BB, R, SB.