Long weekend tests the Dolphins

Josh Fitch #5 hits an RBI single
Photo by Wilson Tsoi

  

Dolphins took on a long weekend with 6 games playing 51 total innings to find the right line up before heading into Northern Region play. Shoreline came out with two wins and four losses to have an overall record of 4-6.

Starting the weekend with their first road trip of the season the Dolphins had a tough day at Yakima Valley Community College. Shoreline struggled from the mound giving up four runs right off and as many as seven in one inning. Shoreline suffered two rough losses with scores of 15-6 and 10-0.

Shoreline was back in shape for Saturday's games to finish the series with Yakima Valley. In game one of the day the Dolphins were the first to get on the board with a RBI single by Josh Fitch (Mountlake Terrace HS) to bring Chase Kairis (Mount Si HS) home. The Yaks responded right back with a home run by Andrew Castillo. Shoreline couldn't respond and the Yaks kept a steady momentum scoring three more for a final score of 4-1.

Unwilling to be swept the Dolphins came back in the second game with great enthusiasm. Bradley Spencer (Montsano Jr-Sr HS) was strong at the mound holding the Yaks to the runs earning his first win this season. Shoreline had a big fourth inning scoring three runs and taking the lead! Dylan Wade (O'Dea HS) started the inning with a single, followed by a double from Sam Ballweg (Cedarcrest HS). Darwin Bean (Glacier Peak HS) then hit a RBI single to score Wade. Catcher Casey Fithian (Eastlake HS) had a RBI sacrifice hit to bring Ballweg home. Finally Cody Wolfe (South Kitsap HS) hit a RBI single to run in Bean.

Chase Kairis #28 made it home
Photo by Wilson Tsoi

Josh Lang (Henry M. Jackson HS) came in for the 8th inning to hold the lead and Josh Fitch received the save keeping the Yaks scoreless in the ninth inning. Fitch played three different positions on Saturday helping the Dolphins at short stop, second and from the mound.

On Sunday, the Dolphins took on a new opponent from the Southern Region the Chemeketa Storm. In game one Kairis started the game for the Dolphins pitching his first collegiate game.

It was a tight game with teams trading RBI doubles by the Storm's Gerhett Moser and Jorgen Arneson (Edmonds-Woodway HS) until the Dolphins opened up the game in the fourth inning. Shoreline had five players walked, combined with a double by Mitch Hoveke (West Linn HS, Portland OR) and two singles from Wolfe and Ballweg the Dolphins scored seven runs to make it a 8-1 game.

In the sixth inning Chemeketa's Brenden Shaff scored a home run in an effort to rally but it was matched by Sam Herzer's (Meadowdale HS) RBI double. Shoreline won with a final score of 9-2.

In the final game of the weekend Shoreline started the game with an early run from Wolfe. Unfortunately, that was the last run from the Dolphins and they suffered a tough third inning. A few costly mistakes scored three runs for the Storm leaving the final score at 3-1 Storm.

With a variety of lineups over the weekend the Dolphins look to have found the right one moving into Northern Region play. They will take on the top North team the Edmonds Tritons this weekend, travelling to Edmonds on Saturday and then returning to Meridian Park to finish the series on Sunday, March 30th. Both doubleheaders will begin at 1:00pm.

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For complete Dolphins schedule and results are available on the Athletics website. Watch all games on YouTube. Follow @SCCDolphins and @PhinSCCBaseball on Twitter and like on Facebook for daily Dolphin updates.