Shoreline, WA - After dropping two games to Bellevue in the north region home opener, the Trojans bounced back to score 27 total runs on the road to defeat Shoreline 12-1 and 15-11. Lefty sophomore, Davis Buckner got the start in the first game of the day and went 6 innings, giving up 6 hits, one earned run, and struck out 6 batters. Adison Mattix then finished the game giving up just one hit and striking out 2. Meanwhile the offense got going early, scoring a run in the top half of the first on an Aiden Van Rensum sac fly, scoring Braeden Terry after his leadoff triple. Everett then put the game away by scoring four in the 3rd, three in the 6th and four more in the 8th. Five Trojans had multi hit games, Drew Biggerstaff and Sheehan O'Connor with a pair of singles, Carson Burns with a double and a three-run homerun, Keaton Fisher with a single and a double, and Cade Westerlund with a pair of home runs totaling 5 RBI's.
Game Two of the day was filled with much more drama. After the Trojans took another early 2-0 lead by scoring a run in the first and Cade Westerlund's 3rd home run of the day in the 2nd inning, Shoreline responded and tied the game back up in the 3rd with two runs, and then scored another two runs in the 4th to take back the lead. EvCC Starter Ethan Hubbell then pitched a hitless 5th inning, to finish his day with the four earned runs on 5 hits and striking out 5 batters. The Trojans tied the game in the 6th when Aiden Van Rensum drew a leadoff walk that was then taken advantage of with a Drew Biggerstaff homerun, the fifth Trojan bomb of the day and more than doubling their season total as a team. EvCC reclaimed the lead in the 7th with another pair of runs once again taking advantage of Shoreline mistakes with a leadoff walk, and a throwing error that brought Westerlund around to score from first and Baldwin advancing all the way to third. Jonah Shull then singled to put EvCC up 6-4.
The lead was short lived as Shoreline scored three in the bottom of the 7th aided by a pair of Trojan errors and a wild pitch. Brandon Brunette and Aiden Van Rensum paired up to get out of the inning and keep the game within reach. Van Rensum went on to pitch a near flawless 8th inning to strikeout the side and finish with 1 hit, 1 earned run, 1 walk, and 5 strikeouts in two innings pitched. The offense answered the call, trailing by a run with two outs and a runner on in the 9th inning. Van Rensum doubled to score Braeden Terry all the way from first to tie up the game at 7. Then an error by Shoreline's secondbasemen opened up the flood gates, as Van Rensum came around to score and take the lead. After a Sheehan O'Connor single but runners at first and second, Carson Burns tripled to score two more. Another Shoreline error allowed Burns to come in and put the Trojans up 11-7 scoring 5 runs in that inning, all with two outs.
With the game seemingly put away, Carson Burns who was having a great offensive day was called in to close out the game (one of three position players asked to pitch due to a short staffed pitching crew). After back to back Shoreline singles in the bottom of the 9th, a three run home-run brought the game back to within a run. Then a pinch hitter for the Dolphins also put one over the fence to tie the game and still no outs. Sheehan O'Connor (another position player who has pitched in 6.2 innings this season) came in to relieve Burns and proceeded to get a strikeout, a ground out, and a pop out to end the inning and send the game into extras.
The Trojans could not score in the 10th, but neither did Shoreline as O'Connor struck out two, and had another retired after he was caught stealing. More fireworks ensued in the 11th as with one out, the Trojans got the go ahead run aboard when Drew Biggerstaff was hit by a pitch. Four straight singles by O'Connor, Burns, Fisher, and Westerlund, brought in three runs. After a flyout, Jonah Shull came up with another single to bring Fisher in and put the Trojans up 15-11. In the bottom of the 11th, O'Connor still had the ball on the mound, and got into a little bit of trouble when we gave up a leadoff walk. But a ground ball fielders choice and another strikeout put the Dolphins on the ropes with two outs, a runner on first and trailing by four. After another walk, O'Connor held his breath as a fly ball was hit towards centerfield. But Braeden Terry was able to make the catch and end the theatrics giving the Trojans their second win of the day. O'Connor finished with 3 innings pitched, gave up no hits, no runs, walked 3 but struck out 4. Jonah Shull had a big 3 hit game and drove in 2 runs, while Carson Burns came up with the big triple and a single to drive in 4 runs. Drew Biggerstaff, had a pair of hits with the homerun, as did Cade Westerlund. Aiden Van Rensum had the double and a single, and O'Connor had two singles, to round out the Trojans with multiple hits.
The Trojans moved to 2-2 in north region play and will have a big weekend coming up, facing Edmonds on Saturday who is 2-0 in the north region, and Skagit Valley who is also 2-0 at home. The Trojans will play in Lynnwood at Edmonds College on Saturday at 1pm and 4pm followed by a home doubleheader with Skagit Valley on Sunday April 2nd, also at 1pm and 4pm.