Pasco Pressure: Storm Battle Through Doubleheader Heartbreak at CBC

PASCO, Wash. — The scoreboard might show two marks in the loss column, but for the Chemeketa Storm, Sunday's doubleheader against Columbia Basin College was a story of resilience, missed opportunities, and a few "what-ifs." Despite racking up 16 hits across 18 innings, the Storm (1-9) couldn't quite find the knockout punch, falling 6-4 and 4-1 to a disciplined Hawks squad.

Game 1: The Third Inning Explosion

The opener was a tale of one massive surge. After falling behind 3-0 early, the Storm offense woke up in a big way during the top of the third. J. Vaccaro and N. Crawford set the table, allowing W. Hooper to spark the rally with an RBI single.

The highlight of the afternoon came moments later when D. Rice stepped to the plate and laced a triple deep into the gap, clearing the bases and giving Chemeketa a temporary 4-3 lead.

The Turning Point:

The lead held until the 5th, when CBC's S. Howard and A. Lehman managed back-to-back RBI singles. While C. Saunders stayed hot at the plate (finishing 3-for-4), the Storm couldn't overcome a shutdown performance from the Hawks' bullpen, which allowed zero runs over the final five frames.

• Stat of the Game: C. Saunders went 3-for-4 with an RBI and a stolen base.

• Mound Note: C. Garrett provided 3.2 innings of gritty relief, allowing only one hit while working around five walks to keep the Storm within striking distance.

Game 2: Bolstad's Masterclass Lacks Support

The nightcap was a classic pitcher's duel that turned on a few defensive miscues. J. Bolstad was the story on the mound for Chemeketa, tossing 6.0 innings of gem-like baseball. Bolstad surrendered only four hits and a single earned run, keeping the CBC bats quiet for the majority of his outing.

However, the Storm offense struggled to solve CBC's L. Stevenson, who struck out nine over seven innings. Chemeketa scattered eight hits—including multi-hit games from K. Sheller and T. Gertner—but the "big hit" remained elusive until the 8th inning.

Breaking the Seal:

Trailing 4-0 in the 8th, B. Curtiss kickstarted a rally with a single. T. Gertner eventually grounded out to second, but it was enough to bring Curtiss home and erase the shutout. Unfortunately, that was all the Storm could muster as A. Muneton shut the door in the 9th.

Weekend Statistical Leaders

The Bottom Line

The Storm left Pasco knowing they can hang with the top tier of the conference. Bolstad's performance in Game 2 provides a blueprint for the rotation moving forward, and the 8-hit efforts in both games suggest the lineup is close to a breakout.

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