The independent student media site of West Linn High School

wlhsNOW

The independent student media site of West Linn High School

wlhsNOW

The independent student media site of West Linn High School

wlhsNOW

Baseball team approaches final month of the season

“The baseball team’s last two games have been our strongest,” Kevin Mills, head coach said. The West Linn Lions (5-14, 2-6 Three Rivers League) have battled two top Three Rivers League teams: the Lakeridge Pacers (12-6, 5-3 Three Rivers League)  and the Clackamas Cavaliers (19-2, 7-2 Three Rivers League).

Although the Lions have gone into extra innings twice, they have no wins to show for their effort. The Lions lost 5-4 and 3-2 to the Pacers.

“They’re working on making the game routine, and minimizing errors,” Mills said.

The Lions lost 4-3 against the Cavs on Friday, May 3, battling against the Pacer’s pitcher Austin Kelly, senior. They pushed to tie the game in the top of the seventh inning when Nikko Mills, junior, hit a double. Clackamas countered with a walk-off hit with two outs off Will Matthiessen, freshman.

The final score against the Pacers on Friday, April 26 was 3-2. West Linn’s Garrett Meisen, junior,  pitched against the Cavaliers on Friday giving up only one run through seven innings. In the eighth inning, the Lions scored a run. Jordan Dailey, sophomore, pitched in the bottom of the eighth and walked two Clackamas players and later forced two outs on grounders. The Lions started to waver when the Cavs hit a double to tie the game, and then a single to win.

The Lions fought against the Pacers on April 24 and although the outcome was a loss, the coach didn’t see it that way. West Linn’s ace, Karsen Lindell, sophomore, struck out 15 players in the course of the game, and kept the others guessing. Lindell kept this up for seven innings, never showing a sign of exhaustion.

Mills said that the factor that finally pushed the Pacers to win was their offense. Cooper Hummel, Lakeridge senior, hit a homerun and a triple against Lindell’s pitches.

After losing 15 seniors last season, the team was hoping for a fresh start. Mills sees it as both a curse as well as a blessing due to the loss of some of the star players, but also gaining new players.

“It was a great opportunity for younger players to get Varsity spots,” Mills said. In his opinion, the Lions have proven themselves as a younger team by continuing to battle until the very last inning.

The goal for the end of the season is simple: be a better team than they started as. Next Tuesday the Lions begin playoffs, and will continue to keep other teams in check.

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Shreya Nathan, Reporter
Although she is looking forward to future events in her life, Shreya Nathan, freshman, still enjoys doing things she started being a part of years ago. Looking forward to such things as Prom, graduation, college, and her career, Nathan still puts some of her time into playing softball. “Softball is like a release from my daily life,” Nathan said. Nathan has played softball since she was eight years old and considers it a serious sport. She normally plays third base, but on occasion she will play outfield. The most memorable season of softball for Nathan was in seventh grade when she had five home runs and four double plays. “It felt like I lifted the team and that I was a worthy player,” Nathan said. Although softball has been a part of her life for so long, Nathan also enjoys some of her classes, especially biology. Nathan’s favorite part is learning about cells and genetics, because she likes knowing how things grow and evolve. “I grew up in a family of doctors. My mom’s a doctor and she has a big influence over me,” Nathan said. She wants to use the knowledge she gains especially in biology to go to Stanford for college. Nathan wants to eventually become a surgeon. Although she has set herself long term goals for college and a career, Nathan is looking forward to enjoying her high school experience. “Everyone says that high school is the best four years of your life. I’m looking forward to prom and graduation, even though they are in a few years,” Nathan said. Even with everything she is looking forward to, Nathan still enjoys the things she is currently a part of, such as biology, and things she has been putting time into for years, such as softball.
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Baseball team approaches final month of the season