Roundup: Rainier baseball splits games, softball breaks out, golf wins again

Rainier High School concluded its final week of athletics before spring break, garnering wins from its baseball, softball and golf teams.

Rainier High School baseball splits games against Onalaska
The Mountaineers baseball team (2-8, 2-8 Central 2B League) earned its second win of the season, shutting out Onalaska 5-0 in an away game on Thursday, April 3. The win snapped a six-game losing streak. Rainier recorded hits from seven different batters, including an RBI double from Hunter Howell and a two-run double from Kaymen Larman, both in the first inning. Rainier scored all five of its runs in the opening frame. Senior pitcher Hunter Howell struck out eight batters in six scoreless innings.

Onalaska struck back the next day, beating Rainier 11-10 in a back-and-forth affair at Rainier Elementary School on Friday, April 4. Rainier scored first on a home-stealing run from Yazama Gurnsey in the opening inning. The two teams traded leads in the second, third and fourth innings before Peyton Sheaffer tied the game 7-7 off an RBI single from Dayton Gardner in the bottom of the fourth. The Mountaineers added three more runs in the sixth courtesy of another RBI single from Gardner and two unearned runs. The Loggers notched four runs in the seventh, however, aided by a walk and four hit-by-pitches. Three straight Rainier outs in the bottom of the seventh ended the game. Gardner received the loss for Rainier. The Mountaineers recorded 14 stolen bases from seven runners in the contest.

The Mountaineers are off for spring break. They return Wednesday, April 16, at Toledo.

Mountaineers softball runs wild on Winlock

The Rainier High School softball team is riding a five-game winning streak after dominating Winlock 27-2 on Thursday, April 3, at Winlock High School. Ryleigh Cruse commanded the plate, driving in six runs off five hits while scoring three runs. Keira Anderson and Gracie Lantz batted in four runs apiece. Six Mountaineers recorded multiple hits for a total of 18. Ellyana Henry earned the win in her first pitching action of the season, allowing just two hits and two earned runs before the game was called in the fifth.

The Mountaineers (5-2) begin conference play at home against Toledo on Monday, April 14.

Rainier golf notches victories
The Rainier High School boys golf team won again on March 28 at Newaukum Golf Course in Chehalis, beating Winlock, North Beach and Willapa Valley with a total score of 182. Josh Peralta finished first individually with a score of 38; Thomas Sprouffske earned third with a 43. The girls team also won, beating Willapa Valley with a total score of 216. Lily Peralta finished first overall with a score of 40, Olivia Cotham-Mills took second with a 56, and Marianna Gonzales finished third with a 57.

On Wednesday, April 2, the Mountaineer boys lost to Adna 192-211 at Riverside Golf Club, despite a match-tying best of 43 from Josh Peralta. For the girls, Lily Peralta finished first overall with a 43 against Winlock.
Rainier golf returns to action on Tuesday, April 22, at Riverside.