Saints put on clinic, double down on Lakers

In the thick of regional play, Mt. Hood set sail for Coos Bay on Wednesday, gearing up for a matinée doubleheader with Southwestern Oregon.

Little did the Lakers know what was in store for them. The Saints rode the arm and bat of starting pitcher Kayla Byers, who was simply on her game – so much so that she threw every inning in both victories. Here’s how her day looked: 12 innings pitched, nine hits, two runs allowed, one base on balls and 13 strikeouts, and that was just in the circle, all the while lowering her NWAC leading ERA to 1.53.

At the dish, Byers was just as lethal, unleashing a two-run bomb in her very first plate appearance, prompting the Southwestern Oregon play-by-play live stream announcer to shriek, “She belts that one out to left field, that’s gone… that was a no-doubter, she freaking got all of that one, holy smokes!” She would go on to finish with a couple of hits, a pair of walks, three runs knocked in and two runs scored, batting cleanup in each contest. A good day’s work, indeed.

SWOCC came out and played competitively, keeping it close in the first game. After Mt. Hood plated two in the first inning on that Byers blast, the Lakers could only muster one of their two runs on the afternoon, albeit a home run of their own off the bat of slugger Shevan DeFreitas, her 17th of the year (she would go on to hit No. 18 in the second game, accounting for all of the Lakers’ runs on the day). Mt. Hood went on to win 3-1.

Come game No. 2, the Lakers had nothing for the Saints, who showcased their skills in every facet. Each member of the lineup reached base in the five-inning contest, making for a full team effort. Darian Lindsey and Jazmayne Williams recorded multiple knocks, including Lindsey’s seventh homer of the season. Mt. Hood batters also walked five times and were not once called out on strikes, cruising to a 9-1 victory.

The Lakers’ lone tally came on the solo shot by DeFreitas, who was also their losing pitcher, allowing eight runs across three innings pitched, only one of them earned. The mercy rule ended the game after five innings, giving the Saints a shortened victory and mini-sweep on the coast.

Mt. Hood next plays the South Region-leading Red Devils of Lower Columbia in Longview, Wash., on Saturday, in another afternoon doubleheader.

The Saints come back home Tuesday to host two games against the Clark College Penguins.

Advocate Staff