Mission Valley evens record with bounce-back wins
The Mission Valley Mariners split a packed week of American Legion baseball, shaking off a rough start in Hamilton with four wins over the weekend to bring their season record back to .500 at 11-11.
After two shutout losses to a strong Bitterroot squad on Tuesday, the Mariners rebounded in impressive fashion, posting victories over Moscow, Mt. Spokane and Wenatchee Valley before closing out the weekend with a narrow loss in their series finale.
Tuesday struggles at Bitterroot
The road trip started with frustration as Mission Valley ran into a red-hot Bitterroot pitching staff that limited the Mariners to just two hits in the opener and no hits in the nightcap.
Bitterroot claimed 10-0 wins in both games of the doubleheader. In Game 1, Landon Shoemake and Aiden Gfroerer tallied the only hits for Mission Valley, while Aiden Courville pitched four innings, giving up nine hits and eight earned runs.
Game 2 saw Bitterroot break things open with a six-run fourth inning. Landon Pablo went four innings on the mound but again faced an efficient Bitterroot lineup.
Friday turnaround in Moscow
Mission Valley’s fortunes shifted dramatically Friday in Moscow, where the Mariners pulled out a 6-5 thriller behind a late-inning rally.
Trailing 5-2 entering the seventh, the Mariners stormed back with four runs to take the lead. Paxson DuMont delivered a key two-hit game with an RBI, while Gfroerer doubled and drove in a run.
Cole Wadsworth pitched a strong 6 1/3 innings, allowing just two hits and one earned run despite issuing six walks. Cash Atkinson closed out the game to preserve the one-run win.
Wadsworth, Shoemake shine in win over Mt. Spokane
Mission Valley followed up with one of its sharpest all-around performances of the season, downing Mt. Spokane 6-1.
Cole Wadsworth dominated on the mound, throwing five no-hit innings with nine strikeouts and two walks. Shoemake worked the final two frames in relief.
Offensively, the Mariners broke open the game with a four-run sixth inning. Shoemake stayed hot at the plate, going 2-for-2 with a double, a triple and two RBIs. Haggard also drove in two runs with a pair of hits.
Slugfest against Wenatchee Valley
Saturday saw a pair of tightly contested games with Wenatchee Valley, as the Mariners claimed an 8-7 victory in the opener before falling 9-3 in the second game.
In Game 1, Mission Valley built an early lead thanks to three-hit performances from both Cole Wadsworth and Cody Haggard. Wadsworth drove in three runs and ripped a double, while Haggard added two RBIs and a double of his own. Noah Agliano contributed a clutch two-run double to help the Mariners edge out the win.
On the mound, Haggard went six innings, working around 9 hits to limit the damage. Pablo threw a clean seventh inning to earn the save.
Wenatchee Valley answered back in Game 2 with a five-run first inning and three more in the second to grab control. The Mariners chipped away with runs in the third, fourth and sixth but couldn’t complete the comeback.
Cole Wadsworth remained a bright spot, going 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI. Pablo again provided solid relief, allowing just one earned run across five innings of work.
Tuesday, June 17
BITTERROOT 10, MISSION VALLEY 0
MissValley - 00000 - 0 - 2 - 2
Bitterroot - 2503x - 10 - 9 - 1
MISSION VALLEY HITTING: Landon Shoemake 1-3, Aiden Gfroerer 1-2
MISSION VALLEY PITCHING: Aiden Courville (4IP, 9H, 10R, 8ER, 3BB, 2SO)
BITTERROOT 10, MISSION VALLEY 0
MissValley - 00000 - 0 - 0 - 3
Bitterroot - 1216x - 10 - 9 - 0
MISSION VALLEY HITTING: N/A
MISSION VALLEY PITCHING: Landon Pablo (4IP, 9H, 10R, 6ER, 4BB, 2SO)
Friday, June 20
MISSION VALLEY 6, MOSCOW 5
MissVall - 0001014 - 6 - 5 - 5
Moscow - 1002002 - 5 - 3 - 3
MISSION VALLEY HITTING: Landon Shoemake 1-4, Holden Emerson 1-3, Paxson DuMont 2-4, Aiden Gfroerer 1-2; RBI: Paxson DuMont, Gfroerer; 2B: Gfroerer
MISSION VALLEY PITCHING: Clay Wadsworth (6 and 1/3IP, 2H, 5R, 1ER, 6BB, 1SO); Cash Atkinson (2/3IP, 1H, 0R, 0 ER, 1BB)
MISSION VALLEY 6, MT. SPOKANE 1
MountSpo - 0000010 - 1 - 2 - 1
MissionVal - 000024x - 6 - 8 - 0
MISSION VALLEY HITTING: Cole Wadsworth 2-4, Landon Shoemake 2-2, Cody Haggard 2-3, Aiden Gfroerer 2-2; RBI: Cole Wadsworth, Shoemake 2, Emerson, Haggard 2; 2B: Cody Haggard, Landon Shoemake, 3B: Landon Shoemake
MISSION VALLEY PITCHING: Cole Wadsworth (5IP, 0H, 0R, 0ER, 2BB, 9SO); Landon Shoemake (2IP, 2H, 1R, 1ER, 1BB, 2SO)
Saturday, June 21
MISSION VALLEY 8, WENATCHEE VALLEY 7
Wenatchee - 1100320 - 7 - 10 - 2
MissValley - 031310x - 8 - 8 - 3
MISSION VALLEY HITTING: Cole Wadsworth 3-3, Landon Shoemake 1-4, Cody Haggard 3-3, Noah Agliano 1-1; RBI: Cole Wadsworth 3, Haggard 2, Agliano 3; 2B: Cole Wadsworth, Cody Haggard, Noah Agliano
MISSION VALLEY PITCHING: Cody Haggard (6IP, 9H, 7R, 5ER, 2BB, 3SO); Landon Pablo (1IP, 1H, 0R)
WENATCHEE VALLEY 9, MISSION VALLEY 3
Wenatchee - 5310000 - 9 - 14 - 5
MissionVall - 0011010 - 3 - 5 - 7
MISSION VALLEY HITTING: Cole Wadsworth 2-4, Landon Shoemake 1-4, Holden Emerson 1-4, Clay Wadsworth 1-1; RBI: Landon Shoemake, Clay Wadsworth; 2B: Cole Wadsworth
MISSION VALLEY PITCHING: Landon Pablo (5IP, 6H, 1R, 1ER, 4BB, 1SO)