The Granite Falls Tigers will head out to face off against the Orcas Island Vikings at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, these teams will really light up the scoreboard.
Granite Falls barely beat Mount Vernon Christian the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Tigers put the hurt on the Hurricanes with a sharp 12-5 victory on Thursday. The result was nothing new for the Tigers, who have now won six games by seven runs or more so far this season.
Drake Smith
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| 04/21/25 - Away | 1 |
Drake Smith was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run while striking out 11 over five innings pitched. He also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Granite Falls is 3-1 when he allows at most one earned run, but 6-9 otherwise. Smith was also stellar in the batter's box, getting on base in four of his five plate appearances with two triples, five RBI, and one run. He is on a roll when it comes to triples, as he's now hit at least one in each of the last three games he's played.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Kaden Sturm, who got on base in all five of his plate appearances with two runs and one RBI. He also put up a hit, which was his first of the season. Landon Gwinner was another key player, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.
Meanwhile, Orcas Island hadn't done well against Coupeville recently (they were 2-7 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Thursday. The Vikings blew past the Wolves 12-2. The win was familiar territory for the Vikings, who have now won four matches in a row.
Granite Falls' record is now 9-10. As for Orcas Island, their record now sits at 7-9.
Everything went Granite Falls' way against Orcas Island in their previous meeting back in March, as Granite Falls made off with a 17-0 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Tigers since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
