Braves start strong but Orcas nine wins

For the La Conner High baseball team, idle the past two seasons, progress is not always measured on the scoreboard.

Take the Braves NW2B home clash with Orcas Island last Friday, for example.

The Vikings posted a 20-6 triumph in six innings, but that does not reflect the strides that La Conner – with seven freshmen and two eighth graders on its roster – has made in three short weeks.

The hosts, fueled by timely hitting, several catching gems and a strong start by pitcher Haydin Dinuis, held a 6-5 lead after four frames before faltering the final two innings.

"We’re making progress,” La Conner coach Jeremiah LeSourd said of his young charges. “Today we made some plays and everybody made a positive contribution.”

La Conner (0-7), having taken a one-run lead with two tallies in the bottom of the third, seemed on the verge of an upset win over the Vikings, who improved to 2-3,

Brogan Masonholder was hit by a pitch to lead off the home third. Ivory Souryavong followed with a single. A base hit from C.J. Edwards loaded the bases..

Following a Dinuis flyout, Cameron Burks hit a sharp grounder back to the box, which was mishandled, allowing Masonholder to score.

Souryavong, who had overrun third base, escaped a run down to score the go-ahead run.

Dinuis retired Orcas in order in the top of the fourth, but La Conner failed to add to its margin when the Braves came to bat despite a leadoff single by Kenai Zimmerman and walks to Edwards and Tarquin Heartbroker.

But that would be La Conner’s high-water mark.

Aided by a couple iffy calls, Orcas plated five times in the fifth. First, a Viking baserunner, who appeared to be tagged out by catcher Alden Schnabel, was ruled safe at the plate.

Then, another Orcas runner reached home as shortstop Cameron Burks made what looked like a successful tag on a Viking player between second and third. He, too, was called safe.

The rulings extended an inning that saw the visitors claim a 10-6 edge.

Momentum having swung its way, Orcas settled matters with a 10-run explosion in the sixth. The bulk of those scores were the result of walks and fielding miscues.

“That was an important lesson for us,” said LeSourd, referring to the tough calls in the pivotal fifth inning. “We have to overcome that kind of adversity and be able to get past bad breaks. That’s the way it goes in life sometimes. And, in our game, we have to look ahead to the next play and not dwell on the last play.”

La Conner made plenty of good plays in the early stages of the game.

Edwards, an eighth grader, turned four hard hit grounders up the middle into assists. Cameron Burks made two nice catches at shortstop, while Logan Burks reeled in a superb running grab in centerfield.

Dinuis, meanwhile, yielded just two hits and logged a strikeout over the first four innings.

The Braves supported Dinuis with two runs in each of the first three innings.

In the first, Dinuis singled to center and moved up to third when Cameron Burks and Schnabel were hit by pitches. Kenai Zimmerman delivered Dinuis with a fielder’s choice grounder. Logan Burks scored Cameron Burks with an infield single.

The Braves loaded the bases again in the second, plating twice more courtesy a single by Edwards, an Orcas error, a walk to Schnabel and a Zimmerman sacrifice fly.

The critical fifth inning began innocently enough as Masonholder retired the first Orcas hitter on an unassisted putout off a weak grounder up the first baseline. A walk, two Braves errors, two Orcas base hits and the two contested calls opened the floodgates.

La Conner is scheduled at Darrington this Friday in a 4 p.m. start.

In related sports notes:

• The La Conner High track teams returned to action Friday at Mount Vernon Christian after a two-week COVID-19-related hiatus. The La Conner boys placed second and the Lady Braves finished third in a six-school event. Cole Hagen and Mason Murdock were dual victors for the Braves. Hagen swept the 110 meter hurdles (0:17.68) and 300 hurdles (0:46.81) and Murdock captured the 200 meter sprint (0:24.51) and javelin toss (123’-8.5”). Katie Watkins and Ellie Marble paced the La Conner girls. Watkins won the javelin (85’-7”) and Marble topped the high jump field at 4’-10.”

• The Lady Braves softball team, which was also sidelined two weeks due to pandemic protocols, resumed action Friday with a 19-2 league setback to Orcas Island.