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PRE-GAME WARMUP – Cold weather at the ballpark last week had coach Jeremiah LeSourd bundled up. Fortunately, La Conner had hot bats going in a 14-4 league win over Concrete on Wednesday.
As a former La Conner High School football standout, Loran James is used to seeing the number 35 on stadium scoreboards.
But not when the game being played is softball.
James, coach of the high school softball team, was thrilled to see 35 posted on the Lady Braves' side of the scoreboard in a league slugfest with visiting Skagit County rival Concrete last Wednesday.
James' charges came from behind to secure a wild 35-27 triumph, the youthful team's first win on the campaign.
Across campus, the baseball team steamrolled Concrete 14-4 for its first conference victory and second win overall in 2023.
Braves hurler Kenai Zimmerman struck out nine Lion batters in a tidy 80-pitch, five-inning complete-game outing. He also helped his cause with a single, double and two runs scored.
Shortstop C.J. Edwards ripped a triple and two singles and scored three times for the victors.
Catcher Kaleb Otis, an eighth grader, lined a double and two singles and scored one of six runs during a third inning Braves rally that broke the game open.
Logan Burks, who patrolled centerfield, walked three times and reached on an error, plating three times.
Third baseman Brogan Masonholder and first baseman Nathan Bailey each singled and doubled and second baseman Ivory Damien and right fielder Brayden Pedroza added a single apiece to round out the attack.
The rest of the week's homestand got tougher for the La Conner teams, however.
The Lady Braves fell 22-1 to Darrington while the Braves – despite three singles from Masonholder – were defeated 8-1 by the Loggers.
Defensively, there were some bright spots for the Braves both in Thursday's matchup with Darrington and during a 13-0 no-hit loss to state-ranked Mount Vernon Christian Saturday afternoon.
La Conner closed the door on a potential big Darrington first inning when Zimmerman, who started behind the plate, took a perfect throw from Otis to nail a runner attempting to score on a double steal. Zimmerman later shut off a three-run Darrington third inning by throwing out a runner at second.
Against MVC, Edwards flashed the leather with nice leaping catch at shortstop of a Hurricane line drive in the third frame. Otis, the team's starting pitcher, had previously picked off an MVC runner at first to end a two-run Hurricane second stanza.
"We're seeing growth," coach Jeremiah LeSourd said of his team, who have no seniors on the roster. "The guys are getting more comfortable with their roles."
The Braves, 2-9 overall and 1-8 in NW2B/1B action and the Lady Braves, 1-12 overall and 1-5 in conference play, entertained Orcas Island on Tuesday. Both La Conner teams visit Concrete Thursday at 4 p.m. and Coupeville Saturday at 1 p.m. before wrapping up the regular season with a May 2 home doubleheader at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. against Friday Harbor.
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