Spurred by a balanced day at the plate and a string of singles in a couple innings, the Mountaineers notched their second straight win with an 8-5 verdict against the Vikings at home on Monday.
All 11 of Rainier’s hits were singles and it walked seven times despite 10 strikeouts. Most of its damage came with one out, mainly in the fourth and fifth innings. Three straight run-scoring hits from Elaina Henry, Ryleigh Cruse and Gracie Lantz made it a 5-2 cushion.
Cruse capped the three-run fifth with a two-run single. Henry, Cruse and Layla Hill all had at least two hits and a stolen base for the Mountaineers. Henry struck out eight to earn the win in the circle.
Mossyrock (5-9, 1-4) refused to go quietly. It tied the game in the fourth on a Hailey Allen RBI single and Maci Rashoff run-scoring groundout. The Vikings pieced together a rally in the sixth, fueled by RBI hits from Taylor and Brooke Schwartz plus Sadi Rashoff. They had the tying run at the plate with two outs, but a ground out ended the comeback attempt.
Allen and Zoella Zavodsky each recorded three hits for the Vikings, who will take on Winlock on Thursday. Rainier has a pair of non-league games to wrap up the week, starting with Rochester on Tuesday.
