Spring has sprouted, and with it high school baseball in Clark County.
In a season of renewal and optimism, Columbia River walked off Propstra Stadium with an extra spring in its step on Friday. The Chieftains beat Skyview 8-2 in the first local game this high school season.
A River team with just three seniors beat a Skyview team that returns 12 players from a team that placed third in the Class 4A state playoffs.
Two of those seniors, Nick Nygard and Kade Gerlack, combined to hold Skyview to three hits. Nygard struck out nine batters in three innings.
Columbia River scored six runs in the third inning, sending 12 batters to the plate and chasing Gonzaga-bound pitcher Daniel Copeland from the mound.
“I was pleasantly surprised tonight,” River coach Stephen Donohue said. “We came out against a really good team and swung the bats against one of the best pitchers in the state.”
Last year, rain wreaked havoc on the high school baseball season in Clark County, where most teams struggled to play a full league schedule.
There was no such problem Friday. The sunset’s rosy glow crept over the first-base bleachers during pregame warmups.
Once the game started, everything came up roses for Columbia River. Nygard had seven strikeouts in two innings — he struck out four batters in the second inning thanks to a passed ball.
Twelve seniors graduated from a Columbia River team that started 3-6, then won three loser-out games to reach the Class 2A state tournament before falling in the quarterfinals.
That late-season surge showed the Chieftains the power of momentum. That’s why they believe a season-opening win can be so important.
“We want to be best in May, when playoffs count,” Nygard said. “But we’ll take it early. It’s always nice to get a first win against a competitive team. Momentum is huge. We’re going to try to carry that, at least into league play.”
Part of sustaining that momentum is decent weather that has allowed local teams to consistently practice outdoors. Donohue said his team has progressed far more in the first weeks of the season than last year’s rain-soaked March.
“Last season, we were every other day in the gym,” Gerlack said. “It’s definitely way different taking ground balls in the gym than out on the field.”
River’s three seniors — Nygard, Gerlack and Koben Jamison — also happen to be Columbia River’s top three pitchers. But Friday showed their younger teammates can provide some offense.
Sophomore Cole Delich had the key hit in the third inning, a two-out bases-loaded single that drove in two runs and stretched River’s lead to 4-1. Junior Parker McNeil went 3-for-4, including a double.
That was all the offensive support Nygard and Gerlack needed.
“It was awesome,” Nygard said. “We had runs. Our team backed us up. We couldn’t do it without them.”
COLUMBIA RIVER 8, SKYVIEW 2
C. River 106 100 0—8 5 1
Skyview 100 001 0—2 3 4
Columbia River
Pitching — Nick Nygard 3 IP, 9 K, 0 H; Kade Gerlack 4 IP, 3 K; Highlights — Parker McNeil 3-4, 2B, R; Nick Nygard, 0-2, R, RBI; Cole Delich 1-4, R, 2 RBI; Garrett Figgins 1-2, R, RBI.
Skyview
Pitching — Daniel Copeland 2.2 IP, 3 K; Max Rose 2.1 IP, 3 K; Carson Mowrer 2 IP, 2 K; Highlights — Liam Kerr, 2-3, 2 2B, R; Cooper Barnum 1-2, RBI.
