Cruisers baseball down Renton 12-3

The Cruisers hosted the visiting Indians from Renton High School and – led by a potent offensive show and stellar pitching performance – Eatonville rolled to a solid 12-3 victory.

Eatonville jumped out to a fast start in the first inning and kept the pressure on throughout the game.

After Eatonville’s starting pitcher Andrew Wiklund was able to pitch out of a bases loaded jam in the top of the first inning by striking out the side.

He would deliver again for the Cruisers in the bottom half of the inning. This time on the offensive end by stroking a two-run home run over the right-field fence to give Eatonville an early 3-0 lead. The Cruisers would add to their total in the bottom of the second when Braden Henricksen singled to lead off the inning, followed by a walk to Zach Smith. After a double steal by Henricksen and Smith, and an intentional walk to Wiklund loaded the bases, Wade Wikander would deliver a single to drive home both Henricksen and Smith and push the Cruiser advantage to 5-0. After a Renton run in the third, Eatonville added a run in the fourth to make it a 6-1 ball game. Renton would not go away though and was able to scratch out two runs in the fifth to keep the game close at 6-3. But in the bottom of the sixth, the Cruisers exploded to put the game away, scoring six runs on three hits included a backbreaking bases load double by Ryan Baliey.

Andrew Wiklund pitched five and two-thirds innings for the Cruisers, striking out eleven batters, giving up six hits, while walking three, before Zach Smith would come on to close the game on the mound and secure the Eatonville victory. The win moves the Cruisers to 4-3 in league play and into a tie for third place in the SPSL 2A Sound Division.

      1   2   3   4   5   6   7   R  H  E

R   0   0   1   0   2   0   0    3  6   5

E   3   2   0   1   0   6  X 12  7   1

WP - Wiklund (2-1)

LP - Wood

HR - Wiklund (1)

Mike Moeller is the head coach of the Eatonville Cruisers baseball team