Medical Lake Cardinal baseball head coach Kerry Kelly has a good reason to be happy.
Not only did his team score big victories last week but they saw the return of pitching ace Cory Wagner who was sidelined for a couple of weeks with a fractured thumb.
The Cardinals put together a clinic in hitting and pitching early in the week scoring a pair of wins, a 10-0 one-hit complete game performance over Newport from Kyle Thompson.
That was followed by an 11-1 victory on the road at Chewelah, March 31 in which Brayden Hale, Cole Soliday and Wagner combined to toss a no-hitter.
The week was capped with a split of a nonleague doubleheader at perennial 1A power Cashmere on Saturday, April 2. Medical Lake (4-1 NEA, 8-2 overall) lost the opener 3-1 but won the second game 7-4.
Tyler Munden and Drew Hostetter each had a pair of hits in the Cards’ win over the Bulldogs. Hostetter and Phil Murray each also stroked doubles. Wagner pitched six innings to earn the win.
“He (Wagner) got the win but he still wasn’t 100 percent, which was great because he had to battle, he was challenged,” Kelly said of the senior.
Hale had a pair of hits, including a triple in the loss. “That Cashmere team is the best we’ve seen all year,” Kelly said. ”But also, that was the best I’ve seen out of us all year.”
Thompson has not had a place to be in the spotlight because Kelly said, “He’s always been behind our logjam of pitching.” But the junior has found his place this year. “He just throws strikes. And he keeps the defense in the game,” his coach said.
Soliday, Hale and Tristen Keith each had two-hit games in the rout of Newport. Soliday and Hale each had a double, and Keith a triple in the victory.
Last week’s second big offensive explosion at Chewelah was highlighted by a nine-run second inning with Hale, Soliday and Wagner doing the rest.
Medical Lake resumes play April 12 with a return game at home with Chewelah.
Paul Delaney can be reached at [email protected].
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