Braves roll to 7-1 win in home opener

The La Conner High baseball team was in mid-season form for its home opener last Thursday.

The Braves used sharp pitching, crisp defense and discipline at the plate to post an impressive 7-1 nonleague triumph over Evergreen Lutheran.

Starter Nathan Bailey tossed three hitless innings and fanned five Wolverines hitters, then gained solid relief efforts from Charles Jackson, Kaleb Otis and Ivory Damien. Together, they limited Evergreen to five singles and a lone tally over the final four frames.

Bailey helped his cause with a third-inning, run-scoring single that broke a scoreless tie and plated Logan Burks, who opened the inning with a double to right field.

La Conner added four runs in the fourth and two more in the fifth to clinch the victory.

Kenai Zimmerman led off the fourth with a walk, was wild pitched to second, stole third and scored when C.J. Edwards drew a free pass with the bases loaded. Damien, who also worked his way aboard with a walk, scored on a passed ball.

Hadden Zimmerman, who was hit by a pitch, came home via a wild pitch. Edwards scored courtesy of a sharp grounder by Otis, lifting La Conner to a 5-1 edge.

In the fifth, Edwards and Burks each delivered a run with two-out, bases-loaded walks to provide the final margin of victory.

“Overall, our pitching and defense have shown a big improvement, and we can depend on them,” coach Jeremiah LeSourd said.

He was especially pleased that his pitchers issued no walks.

La Conner (2-0) had launched the 2024 campaign with a 16-2 romp at Muckleshoot on March 12, arriving at the ballpark in Auburn in a driving hailstorm.

The Braves demonstrated patience at the plate once the storm passed, parlaying 10 walks and two hit batsmen into a double-digit attack.

La Conner scored twice in the top of the first. Otis delivered Edwards with a sacrifice and Brogan Masonholder brought Burks home.

An Edwards single in the second inning drove in David Holt. Masonholder followed with a two-run single of his own.

The Braves broke the game open with a seven-run third inning.

Kenai Zimmerman pitched the first two innings for La Conner. Burks followed in the third and fourth stanzas, and Masonholder closed out the game in the fifth.

“The key to the game was our pitching,” LeSourd said. “Our pitchers combined to allow two runs, four hits, and 11 strikeouts. They did a great job of keeping the game moving efficiently.”

La Conner resumes non-conference action at 4 p.m. today (Wednesday) in Sedro-Woolley. The Braves host league rival Darrington at 4 p.m. Friday.

The La Conner High School softball team, which dropped non-league games at Muckleshoot and Edmonds-Woodway last week, entertains Darrington at 4 p.m. Friday.