Camas baseball team battles state champions next

The Camas High School baseball team returned from the sunny side of Washington state on a mission.

Hitting, defense and a total team effort helped the Papermakers defeat Evergreen 10-4 Monday, for their first league victory of the season. The Papermakers pounded out 15 hits in the ballgame, and held the Plainsmen to just three.

Cameron Pierce ignited the Camas offense by going 3-for-3 with an RBI. Liam Fitzpatrick made a diving snag at third base and threw a runner out. Connor Heredia gave up one run in three-plus innings pitched. Sean McClanahan struck out a batter in his varsity pitching debut. Hunter Bruno worked the final three innings to earn a save.

“All 19 guys played, making the win that much sweeter,” said head coach Joe Hallead.

Camas (5-1) is scheduled to face Skyview today, in Salmon Creek. First pitch is at 4 p.m.

“Baseball is a great game because on any given day records do not matter if you execute and catch the ball and throw strikes and play with an edge,” Hallead said. “That is what we will have to do to get the road win against Skyview.”

The Papermakers retreated from the rain Saturday, by playing a doubleheader in the Tri-Cities. Camas started the day with a 13-7 victory at Richland. Blake Christopher went 4-for-5 at the plate with a double and 2 RBI. The Papermakers delivered seven doubles in the victory. McKinley LeFore earned the win on the mound after striking out five batters in three innings of work.

Camas couldn’t escape Kennewick in the second game. Dylan White tossed four solid innings before ranking his pitching limit. At that point, the Papermakers led 4-3. Kennewick torched the Camas bullpen for 11 runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to win 14-4.

This angered the Papermakers. They arrived at Evergreen for the first league game of the season with vigor and fire. It didn’t take them long to right the ship. Camas scored five runs in the second inning, one in the third and three in the fourth.

After winning nail-bitters against Prairie and Hockinson to begin the season, the Camas bats came alive in a 16-7 March 24 victory at Banks High School, in Portland. Sam Jones drove in three runs on three hits. Heredia added a single, double, triple and 3 RBI. Tucker Parker came in to pitch in a bases loaded jam and recorded three consecutive outs without giving up any runs.

Hallead said the road trips to Portland and the Tri-Cities brought the Papermakers closer together.

“We were able to get a lot of guys experience on the mound and our bats came alive up and down the lineup.”