Long and short: Braves win, lose big

It was the best of times and the worst of times last week for the La Conner High baseball team, which still has great expectations for another deep playoff run.

The Braves, with key league dates this week opposite Orcas and Darrington, were coming off a novel two-game road split in which they both won and lost by double digits.

La Conner romped past Lummi 18-1 last Monday behind a stellar mound performance by Erick Reinstra.

The Braves, though, fell 10-0 at Lakewood on Wednesday in non-conference action.

First, the good news.

Reinstra tamed Lummi on just three safeties, while striking out six, to pick up the lopsided win.

“Erick pitched a strong game,” Braves’ coach Jeremiah LeSourd said afterward. “And he got all the scoring he needed in the first inning.”

That’s when La Conner pushed across two runs to take the early advantage.

It was a lead that would swell as the game progressed. Seniors Wil James and Hudson Zavala backed Reinstra with multi-hit efforts, leading a potent Braves attack.

James went three-for-three at the plate with two doubles and drove in three runs. Zavala lined a trio of singles in three trips and also collected three RBIs.

La Conner broke the game open with crooked numbers in both the second and third frames. The Braves scored eight runs in each inning while coasting to their seventh win on the campaign.

In hindsight, La Conner should’ve saved some of its scoring punch for the mid-week trip to Lakewood, yet another larger enrollment foe on the Braves’ brutal non-league schedule.

Five Cougar pitchers combined to thwart La Conner on a one-hitter, with Taylor Hogue picking up the win.

“We just weren’t able to get anything going offensively,” LeSourd lamented.

On that count, the Braves are in good company. Lakewood mauled Coupeville’s Wolves 12-4 later in the week as Tim Kolling and Colby Jones finished with five base hits between them.

It was Drew Earnheart and Zach Stillings who hurt the Braves.

Earnheart paced Lakewood with a triple and two singles. Stillings added a pair of base knocks.

There were, however, bright spots for the Braves. La Conner was able to turn plays in the field that kept the Cougars from further inflating the score.

“Our defense,” LeSourd said, “made Lakewood earn every run.”

LeSourd and his staff were looking forward to resuming NW2B action Monday against Orcas, but that game was postponed due to rain until tomorrow, Thursday, at 3 p.m.

The Braves, 5-1 in league games, were slated to host a 4-5 Vikings club.

La Conner was to visit Darrington, 2-4 in NWB standings, late Tuesday.

Both games loomed as crucial, LeSourd said Saturday.

“If we win those games,” he said, “we clinch a share of the league title.”