First Inning Blues: Storm’s Late-Inning Rallies Fall Short Against Saints

CAMAS, Wash. — In baseball, they say the game is nine innings long for a reason, but for the Chemeketa Storm (3-15) on Sunday, it was the very first frame that proved to be the Achilles' heel. Despite out-hitting Mt. Hood in the nightcap and launching a home run in the opener, the Storm couldn't overcome two explosive first-inning outbursts by the Saints, dropping both ends of the doubleheader, 11-7 and 5-3.

Game 1: Cuff's Big Day Not Enough to Erase Early Deficit

Final: Mt. Hood 11, Chemeketa 7

The morning set the tone for a day of uphill battles. Mt. Hood jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the bottom of the first, forcing Chemeketa to play catch-up from the jump.

The Storm offense, however, showed significant life. Dylan Cuff was the standout performer, going a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate. In the second inning, Cuff provided a much-needed spark by launching a solo home run to put the Storm on the board.

Chemeketa chipped away with runs in the third, fourth, and fifth innings, but the Saints responded with a four-run third to keep the game just out of reach. Max Eaton provided a gritty performance in relief, eating up six innings to keep the bullpen fresh, while Joe Vaccaro added two hits to the Storm's eight-hit total.

• Top Performer: Dylan Cuff: 3-for-3, HR, 2 RBI, 2 Runs

• Late Fight: Chemeketa scored in the 9th on a Liam Irish reach-of-error, proving the "never quit" attitude of this roster.

Game 2: The Ten-Hit Heartbreak

Final: Mt. Hood 5, Chemeketa 3

The nightcap felt like a case of déjà vu. The Storm actually took an early 1-0 lead in the first after Tyrel Gertner laced an RBI double to score Dylan Cuff. However, history repeated itself in the bottom of the frame as the Saints plated five runs to take a 5-1 lead.

What followed was a defensive masterclass from the Storm's relief corps. Andrew Yost entered in the fourth and was virtually untouchable, tossing 2.1 innings of scoreless ball with three strikeouts.

Remarkably, Chemeketa out-hit Mt. Hood 10 to 6 in the second game. Nick Crawford and Joe Vaccaro both recorded multi-hit games, but the Storm struggled to find the one "big hit" needed to clear the bases, leaving five runners stranded. A sacrifice fly by Isaiah Sanchez in the 7th brought the Storm within two, but the Saints' Max Green shut the door with six strikeouts in relief.

Statistical Breakdown: The Offensive Surge

Despite the two losses, the Storm's bats are heating up as they head deeper into the spring.

The Takeaway

The Storm exit the weekend with a clear mission: win the first inning. When looking past the opening frames, Chemeketa played Mt. Hood essentially even (or better) throughout the rest of the 16 innings played on Sunday. With the bullpen finding its rhythm behind Andrew Yost and the middle of the order finding gaps, the Storm are closer to a breakthrough than the record suggests.

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