AA American 49ers Rally For Two Wins With Sweep of West Kootenay

The Northeast 49ers AA American 17U baseball team split four games last week, rebounding from a pair of losses to Mt. Spokane with two comeback victories over the West Kootenay Orioles. Northeast finished the stretch 2-2 and moved to 14-13 for the season. The 49ers opened a July 7 doubleheader with a 6-3 loss to Mt. Spokane Wild AA on Mt.Spokane’s turf. Northeast was held scoreless through the first three innings before scoring twice in the fourth and once in the sixth.

Ethan Johnson led the 49ers at the plate, going 2-for-2 with a double, an RBI, and a run. Zack Bateman added a hit and scored twice, while Cooper Haynes drove in a run. Noah Ross, Michah Langrehr, and Sawyer Dallman each recorded a hit. Chris McKenney pitched all six innings for Northeast, allowing six runs, five earned, on nine hits. He walked two and struck out one.

The second game followed a similar pattern, as Mt. Spokane earned another 6-3 victory. Northeast trailed 3-0 after four innings before scoring twice in the fifth. Mt. Spokane answered with three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning, and the 49ers added their final run in the seventh. Lukas Visser went 2-for-4 and drove in a run. Johnson, Ross, Langrehr, and Dallman each contributed a hit.

Johnson, Ross, and McKenney scored the Northeast runs. Bateman worked six innings on the mound, giving up six runs on 10 hits with four walks and one strikeout. The 49ers returned to action July 8 and broke through with an 11-6 victory over West Kootenay in Colville. Northeast scored four runs over the first two innings but entered the bottom of the sixth trailing 6-4.

The 49ers then sent seven runs across the plate to take control. Northeast drew 12 walks and finished with seven hits. Ross went 2-for-3 and scored three times, while Langrehr had two hits, an RBI, and a run. Bateman drove in two runs, and Haynes finished with three RBIs. Cruz Bateman added two RBIs, while Dallman and Jack Canada each drove in one. Canada scored twice.

Cooper Hickok started and struck out six over 5⅔ innings. Visser recorded the final out of the sixth and was credited with the victory, while Johnson pitched a scoreless seventh. Northeast completed the July 8 sweep with another late rally, defeating West Kootenay 9-7. The Orioles held a 5-1 lead entering the bottom of the fifth inning, but the 49ers scored three runs to pull within one.

West Kootenay added another run in the top of the sixth before Northeast responded with five runs in the bottom half to take a 9-6 advantage. Johnson powered the offense by going 3-for-3 with a double, two RBIs, and two runs. Langrehr had a hit, two RBIs, and a run, while Ross recorded a hit and scored three times. Haynes drove in a run and scored once.

McKenney added two RBIs despite going hitless, and Zack Bateman scored twice and stole two bases. Johnson earned the pitching victory after working six innings. He allowed six runs, five earned, on seven hits. Haynes pitched the seventh inning allowing one run on three hits. After being held to six total runs in the two losses to Mt. Spokane, Northeast scored 20 runs during its doubleheader sweep of West Kootenay.