The Newport Grizzlies will look to take advantage of their home field for the first time this season as they take on the Northwest Christian School Crusaders at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The two teams are strolling into their matches after big wins in their previous games.
On Saturday, Newport got the win against Lind-Ritzville/Sprague/Washtucna by a conclusive 19-2. The victory continues a trend for the Grizzlies in their matchups with the Broncos: they've now won four in a row.
Hank Kirkwood made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run while striking out ten over four innings pitched. Kirkwood was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring three runs while going 4-for-4.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Ryder Riddles, who went a perfect 5-for-5 with four RBI, two doubles, and one stolen base. Another player making a difference was Brody Driver, who scored three runs while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances.
Meanwhile, while Northwest Christian School put up plenty of runs on Saturday, the same can't be said for Kellogg. Northwest Christian School was the clear victor by a 19-0 margin over Kellogg. That 19 run margin sets a new team best for the Crusaders this season.
Like Newport, Northwest Christian School also got a great game from a two-way player: Chase Mortlock. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out ten over five innings pitched. Mortlock was also big at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-5.
In other batting news, Benjo Roth was a standout: he went 2-for-3 with five RBI, two runs, and one double. Will McConnell was another key player, scoring three runs while going 3-for-3.
Northwest Christian School always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .585. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Kellogg only posted an OBP of .059.
Northwest Christian School's win bumped their record up to 4-1. As for Newport, their victory bumped their record up to 2-0.
