Colville Splits District Doubleheader With Medical Lake, Forces Deciding Game

Colville closed the regular baseball season with a lopsided win over Riverside, then as the No. 2 seed in the NEA League, split the first two games of its district playoff series with Medical Lake to force a deciding game on May 12. The Hawks, now 15-7, opened the week with a 16-2 win over Riverside in their regular season finale May 5, before falling 3-2 to Medical Lake in the opener of a best-of-three district series Saturday, May 9, in Colville. Colville answered with a 4-3 win in the second game to keep its season alive. Colville and Medical Lake met again Tuesday, with the winner advancing. Details were not available at press time. Against Riverside, the Hawks jumped out early and never let up, scoring one run in the first inning, seven in the second, and continuing to roll from there. The game ended after five innings. Colville finished with nine hits and took advantage of seven walks. Jet Bateman went 2-for-2 with four runs scored, while Kyle Bradfield finished 2-for-4 with a triple, four RBIs, and two runs scored. Colton Hansen added a 1-for-4 day with three RBIs. Conor Lyng also had a hit, two RBIs, and a run. Lyng earned the win on the mound, throwing all five innings. He allowed two runs, none earned, on two hits while striking out three and walking two. Riverside scored both of its runs in the third inning, but was held scoreless the rest of the way. In Saturday’s district opener, Medical Lake held off Colville 3-2 in a tight pitchers’ duel. The Cardinals scored one run in the first inning and two in the second before Colville chipped away with one run in the first and one in the fourth. The Hawks were held to four hits. Jet Bateman, Luke Bateman, Hansen, and Fisher Hilderbrandt each had one hit for Colville. Lyng drove in a run, while Braxton Brown also had an RBI. Medical Lake’s AJ Michaud threw a complete game, allowing two runs, one earned, on four hits while striking out 10 and walking one. Hansen took the loss for Colville despite a strong outing. He pitched six innings, allowing three runs on seven hits while striking out four and walking one. Cooper Hickok added one scoreless inning in relief. With its season on the line in the second game, Colville responded late. Medical Lake took a 3-0 lead after scoring twice in the fourth inning and once in the fifth, but the Hawks rallied with three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning and pushed across the go-ahead run in the seventh for a 4-3 victory. Colville finished with seven hits. Jet Bateman went 2 for 4, while Bradfield was 1-for-3 with a triple, and an RBI. Zack Bateman went 1-for-2 with two RBIs. Jet Bateman stole two bases in the matchup as well. Bradfield started on the mound and worked 4 2/3 innings, allowing three runs on five hits while striking out six. Hickok earned the win in relief, throwing 2 1/3 scoreless innings and allowing one hit with one strikeout.