Trojans Take a Game from Spokane's Top Pitching

Everett, WA – Fresh off a 4-0 series sweep over Yakima (2 on the road/2 at home), the Trojans hosted another east region opponent, Spokane for a scheduled four games.  The defending East Region Champs, went 0-3 the previous weekend, but showed up at Funko in a big way with dominate pitching and took the series three games to one.

Freshman, Wyatt Queen got the start in game one, and was hoping to duplicate his performance last weekend where he went 5.1 strong innings, giving up one run on just 3 hits, and striking out 8 batters.  Queen did just that, getting two more outs and going a full six, while giving up 0 earned runs on 3 hits and striking out 9 batters with just one walk. After two runs in the first, more run support came in the 6^th highlighted by Micah Coleman's double that drove in 3 runs.  Sophomore Mason Devinney came in for relief and pitched 3 hitless, shutout innings, striking out 3.  Carson Burns had a solid game with 2 hits, 2 RBI's and scored a run, as did Jonah Shull who had 3 hits, including a double and drove in 2 runs.  Everett took game one 9-2.

In game two, the Sasquatch got the first run of the game in the 1^st inning, which was the first time this season that EvCC allowed the opposing team to put up the first run of the ballgame.  The Trojans would get the run back in the bottom half of the inning on a Nate Davis RBI single, but the Sasquatch put up 2 runs in the 6^th and one in the 7^th to take a 4-1 lead.  Everett had just 3 hits going into the bottom of the 9^th, and failed to get any additional hits in the final frame, dropping their first game of the 2014 season,  4-1.  Nate Davis, Carson Burns, and Jake Lockwood had the lone hits for EvCC, and Davis had the RBI single.

Sunday's doubleheader was moved up two hours due to rain in the forecast, and the earlier start did not do the Everett bats any favors.  The home team was held hitless through 7 innings, and failed to push a run across.  Spokane on the other side totaled 8 hits and scored 5 runs.  Trojan starter Cooper McBride went 4 shutout innings before Spokane got two runs in the 5^th and another in the 6^th.  He finished with the 3 earned runs and struck out two batters.  Nathan Harb held Spokane out of the run column in his two innings pitched, but the game was sealed in the 9^th when the Sasquatch pushed across two more runs against sophomore pitcher Brandon Brunette.  Carson Burns and Brenden Haverlock had the lone hits for EvCC, both singles. 

Despite the threat of rain, the second game of the day started on time, and Spokane carried their momentum through scoring 3 runs in the 2^nd inning.  Everett was again held scoreless through 7 innings, while Spokane built a 6 run lead.  Finally in the bottom of the 8^th, the Trojans got to the Sasquatch pitching staff and scored three runs in the 8^th inning.  The inning was started with a Keaton Fisher single, who advanced to second on a wild pitch.  Micah Coleman singled, moving fisher to 3^rd, while he himself moved over to second on a passed ball.  Another wild pitch scored Fisher, and Cooper McBride worked a walk to keep the pressure on.  More free passes earned by Ethan Herdman and Jake Lockwood, cut into the Spokane lead.  After a strikeout, Jonah Shull grounded out to shortstop but drove in a run to cut the lead in half.  However the 3^rd out was obtained on a flyout and two men were left on. 

Ben Hewitt went one, two, three in the top of the 9^th to give Everett a chance in the 9^th.  Fisher got aboard with a walk, but that's as close as they would get, and Spokane took the final game 6-3. 

The Trojans' schedule will not get easier as they go on the road next weekend to take on another powerhouse program, Lower Columbia College who is off to a 7-0 start with a recent sweep over Bellevue.  First pitch on Saturday is scheduled for 2:00pm.