The Quilcene Rangers will head out to square off against the Darrington Loggers at 4:00 p.m. on Monday. Quilcene is currently enjoying a perfect season and no doubt wants to keep things rolling.
Quilcene proved they can win big on Friday (they won by 24) and on Saturday they proved they can win the close ones too. They had just enough and edged out Crosspoint Christian 6-5.
Oliver Hopkins made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out ten batters over 5.2 innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off three hits (and only one walk). He has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in five consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Jayden Love, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with two stolen bases, three runs, and one triple. He continues to improve, besting his previous run total in each of the last three games he's played.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Darrington, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Thursday. They blew past Lake Quinault 18-0 on Saturday. Considering the Loggers' hitters had been struggling lately, the high-scoring outing was a much-needed turnaround.
Like Quilcene, Darrington also got a great game from a two-way player: Mason Chittick. He didn't allow a single earned run while striking out ten over five innings pitched. Chittick was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with three RBI, two runs, and two doubles.
In other batting news, Grady Stuvland was a standout: he got on base in all four of his plate appearances with six stolen bases and three runs. Another player making a difference was Carter Snel, who got on base in all four of his plate appearances with one home run, three runs, and one stolen base.
Darrington always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .615. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Quilcene pushed their record up to 7-0 with the victory, which was their fourth straight at home. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.0 runs on average over those games. As for Darrington, their victory ended a four-game drought at home dating back to last season and bumped them up to 2-8.
Quilcene took their win against Darrington in their previous meeting back in March by a conclusive 9-3 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Rangers since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
