CLACKAMAS, Ore. — The Wilder Baseball Team was hot during the first day of the 12-team Clackamas, Ore., tournament Thursday.
Literally.
It was 104 degrees on the field when Wilder opened the tourney by beating Lake Oswego, Ore., 7-2 in pool play.
The two teams started play at 3 p.m., the peak of the heat in the Portland area.
“I have never seen such a tired group of kids as I saw after that game,” Wilder coach Rob Merritt said.
But the team got the job done, beating a good team with a strong left-handed pitcher.
“He was a good, big lefty,” Merritt said. “He threw between 80 and 83 miles per hour.”
Wilder will conclude pool play today starting at noon against Aloha, Ore. The forecast is for a much “cooler” 97 degrees.
The tournament concludes Sunday and then Wilder will play in the Washington state tournament beginning Tuesday.
Lake Oswego took a 2-0 lead in the second but Wilder tied it 2-all in the bottom of the third inning.
The North Olympic Peninsula team went ahead for good with three more runs in the fourth inning.
Merritt went with three pitchers because of the heat.
Spencer Middleton started but lasted just 1 2/3 innings, giving up an earned run on four hits while walking three and striking out two.
Alex Gillis (2-0) picked up the win by allowing no runs on four hits in 3 1/3 innings. He walked just one, struck out two and hit one batter.
Gillis was taken out of the game in the bottom of the sixth when the heat got to him.
Cody Sullivan finished up on the mound, giving up no runs while walking one and fanning two in two innings.
Chimacum’s Austin McConnell carried the big bat, going 3-for-4 with two doubles and scoring a run.
Derek Crain was 2-for-3 with a run and an RBI while Kyler Morgan was 1-for-2 with an RBI.
Quilcene’s Brandon Bancroft went 1-for-3 with a run and an RBI.
Port Angeles 7, Lake Oswego 2
Lake Oswego 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 – 2 8 1
Port Angeles 0 0 2 3 1 1 x — 7 12 3
WP- Alex Gillis (2-0)
Pitching Statistics
Port Angeles: Spencer Middleton 1 2/3 IP (1ER, 4H, 3BB, 2K); Gillis 3 1/3 IP (0R, 4H, 2K, 1BB, 1HBP); Cody Sullivan 2 IP (0R, 0H, 2K, 1BB).
Hitting Statistics
Port Angeles: Austin McConnell 3-4 (2 2B, R); Derek Crain 2-3 (R, RBI); Kyler Morgan 1-2 (RBI); Brandon Bancroft 1-3 (R, RBI).