Mules keep kicking along through season

Wahkiakum is off to a flying start this baseball season, and the Mules are proving to be a tough out as they caught W's in four of their first five games. With conference play underway, the Mules will look to continue their form as they vie for the state playoffs.

The lone blemish during the first five games for the Mules came against Naselle on Tuesday, March 25, but Head Coach Matt Mogush came away from the 12-2 defeat largely content with his squad's effort against a formidable Comets team. "I was happy with a lot of things I saw from my guys, with some things to learn from moving forward," Mogush said after the game.

Wahkiakum wouldn't take long returning to its winning ways. After a week-long spring break, the Mules got back to business in a conference matchup against Oakville on Wednesday, April 2.

Wahkiakum ended up taking the win 9-4. After going behind in the top of the first, the Mules took control of the game in the second inning, shifting the momentum with seven runs.

As he has been for much of the season, Rusty Morrison was hugely influential in the game, going two for four at the plate against Oakville and knocking in three runs. In the second inning, Morrison another two RBI with a single, and struck again in the third with a double down the line into left field. Morrison has been in incendiary form at the plate this season. According to MaxPreps, Morrison leads the Mules in batting average (.667), hits (12), and RBI (10).

Other highlight performances from the game included Matt Wills, Mason Curl, and Preston West. Wills went 1 for 1 at the plate, scored two runs with a sac fly, and tracked down a deep fly ball in the gap. Batting, West went 1 for 1 with a shot to left center and was walked three times. Curl added two hits and stole two bases.

Aiden Scott earned the win for Wahkiakum, giving up two hits and two runs (one earned) over four innings while striking out four and walking seven. In relief, Parker Leitz shut the game down, pitching three innings while allowing just one hit, striking out five, and walking two.

The result of the Mules' Tuesday, April 8 game against Raymond/South Bend were not available at the time of press. Following spring break, Wahkiakum will travel to Oakville for a rematch on Monday, April 14.

Softball update

Wahkiakum is still finding its footing on the softball field. The Mules are 0-5 to start the season, but there have been promising signs for the team as they hone their fundamentals.

After losing to Naselle 23-6 on Tuesday, March 25, the Mules had a quick turnaround, playing on March 26 against Ocosta. Though they were defeated 12-8, the Mules showed flashes of greatness. Wahkiakum and Ocosta traded leads through the first three innings. Wahkiakum captured the lead 3-1 in the bottom of the first when RayLynne Ogle grounded out and Zoe Doiron singled. Ocosta took back the lead at the top of the second inning, but the Mules would again answer back in the bottom of the second. Wahkiakum took a 6-5 lead in the bottom of the second when Ryen Hurley drew a walk, scoring one run, and an error scored two runs. Unfortunately, the Mules would have some errors bite them, as Ocosta regained the lead in the top of the third to go up 9-6. Despite the loss, there were some sharp individual performances. Doiron went 1 for 2 at the plate and led the team with two RBI. Evy Hogue went 2-for-3 at the plate to lead the Mules in hits. Another sign of development for the Mules was that they played Naselle closer when they rematched on Tuesday, April 1. Wahkiakum put up their first double-digit scoring game of the season in the 23-13 defeat.

Unfortunately, during the third inning of the Naselle game, second baseman Rylie Willis broke her maxilla. It was a difficult moment for the team, as it's always hard to see a serious injury. A little over a week later, Coach Kami Gray said Willis is "doing good" and "luckily has spring break to relax and recover." With a small squad, someone going down also means that Grayneeds to reshuffle the lineup as they adjust to playing without Willis. "With the injury, we are just trying to refocus and find our groove with our new defensive lineup," said Gray. "With our small group of girls, everyone is having to be flexible and maybe play spots they haven't previously." After the April 1 loss, the Mules have nearly a two-week break leading up to their first conference game at Oakville on Monday, April 14.