The Kelso baseball team completed a three-game 3A Greater St. Helens League sweep of Prairie on Thursday, but needed a late rally to do it and maintain their perfect season.
Down 6-3 after four innings, the Hilanders struck for seven runs — all with two outs — in the sixth inning to win 11-8 and improve to 15-0 overall, 9-0 in league.
Kelso leads the 3A GSHL by three games over Prairie and Evergreen, which are both 6-3.
Kelso and Evergreen play a three-game series next week.
After getting the first two outs of the sixth inning, the Prairie pitching got into trouble with walks and a hit batter that led to two Kelso runs and the Falcons lead was down to 6-5.
Bryce Collins cleared off the loaded bases for Kelso with a double to put the Hilanders ahead 8-6. Then following two more walks and a balk, Zaden Hoover singled in two more runs for Kelso.
Collins knocked in his fourth run in the seventh with a single.
Prairie was able to push across two runs with one out in its half of the seventh, but two fly outs ended the game.
Cam McCray hit a two-run triple in the second inning for Prairie, and Kaleb Cave had a two-run double in the fourth.
Stars of the day
- Jayden Crace and Ryno Oldham Catabay, Evergreen baseball, both had a perfect day at the plate in the Plainsmen’s 9-3 win over Mountain View. Crace was 4 for 4 with a run-scoring double, and Oldham Catabay was 2 for 2 with a three-run double.
- Caden Spanier, Skyview baseball, pitched a complete-game three-hitter with 14 strikeouts and no walks as the Storm beat Battle Ground 9-1. Spanier was also 2 for 4 with an RBI double and a run-scoring single.
- Matt Manjooran and Cade Lukens, Camas baseball, were both 3 for 4 at the plate with two RBI in the Papermakers’ 10-4 win at Union. Manjooran drove in runs in his first two at-bats, while Lukens had an RBI triple.
- John Reeder, Columbia River boys track and field, won the long jump (20 feet, 11 1/2 inches) and triple jump (43-9 1/4), both personal best marks. His triple jump is the third-best mark in the state at Class 2A this season.
- Cicily Orizotti, Columbia River girls track and field, cleared 11 feet for a personal best in winning the pole vault with the third-best mark in the state at Class 2A this season.
