Timberline pitcher Adrian Williams had the River Ridge offense in a straitjacket Tuesday afternoon, holding the Hawks to just one hit in six shutout innings in an 8-1 Blazers win.
Williams struck out five batters and walked two. The only hit he allowed was to Jax Fulton in the second inning, and after his defense turned a double play, he only allowed two more baserunners over the next three frames.
Timberline gradually increased its lead over the course of the game, with one run in the first and another on a Derek Sanchez RBI single in the second inning before the Blazers tallied a four spot in the fifth, all with two outs. Blake Rickert drove in a pair on a single to center field, and Zane Fraser’s two-run single made it 6-0 Timberline. A pair of errors by River Ridge in the sixth aided Timberline in scoring two more runs.
River Ridge brought its lone run across the plate with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning. After D’Vaughntae Sellman walked and stole second base, Ryder Denham put him at third with a single before an error allowed him to come home.
“Our bats started slow but adjusted well as the game went on. We took advantage of some situational hitting and baserunning,” Timberline head coach Doug LaPalm said. “It was nice to get a W heading into the final stages of the season.”
Timberline (6-7, 6-6 Puget Sound League) and River Ridge (8-7, 5-7 Puget Sound League) will meet again at Timberline on Wednesday. The Blazers will then travel to Cheney Stadium in Tacoma for a non-league contest against Fife on Friday, while the Hawks will close out the week at Black Hills on Saturday.
