Wolfpack baseball splits with White Swan Cougars in opener

WHITE SWAN–The Cougars edged the Wolfpack 19-14 in the opening game of the season, then the Wolfpack nine rallied for a 14-11 win in the nightcap here March 18.

Dayton-Waitsburg visits Columbia Burbank for a twin bill on March 25, then the Touchet Redhawks come to Waitsburg for a single game on March 28. Mac-Hi visits March 30 for a double header just ahead of Spring Vacation.

"I was very pleased at the mental toughness that the young men showed today," said Head Coach Greg Crenshaw. "It would have been easy to quit after giving up a large lead in the first game but our players battled adversity and came out on top in the second game. We saw flashes of a very good team today and that is something to be excited about."

The Wolfpack jumped to a 9-2 lead in the first inning but White Swan battled back with hits and aggressive base running to take a two-run lead.

Both teams jockeyed for position in the second, third and fourth innings before the Cougars jumped ahead in the fifth and didn't look back.

Freshman pitcher Will Durham opened strong with two innings in which he didn't allow any earned runs.

Fellow freshman Colton Steinhoff battled back from an early fielding miscue with multiple put outs at third base and a highlight reel catch of a bad hop single that prevented two runs from scoring.

Offensively, DW was lead by Klint Kuykendall, who went four for five at the plate, and Levi Boudrieau's two for five and three RBIs. Cyson Morris and Jarred Hankins had a strong showing on the base paths with three runs scored each.

In the second game, DW rebounded nicely after a slow first inning that saw White Swan score six runs to take a 6-4 lead.

DW buckled down and held White Swan to one run over the next four innings.

"This stretch was highlighted by a strong relief performance by Jayce Gleason," Crenshaw said. "It was a phenomenal performance for Gleason, who only started pitching this year."

Jasper Morrow followed with a gutsy two-inning effort and Tracien Garcia closed the door with his second relief performance of the day, Crenshaw said.

Garcia also had a strong day at the plate with a two for three effort.

Other offensive highlights included an improved approach in the batter's box, drawing eight walks for the game and aggressive base running with seven steals.