The Skyview baseball team doesn’t know when it will next play on its home field.
But the Storm looked comfortable at their temporary home Thursday. Skyview beat Camas 3-1 to move into first place in the Class 4A Greater St. Helens League.
Skyview will play its home games at Propstra Stadium at Hudson’s Bay High School indefinitely. This spring’s abnormally wet weather has renderered Skyview’s home field unusable.
Depsite being at the whim of the weather, Skyview is on a roll. The Storm (7-2, 4-1) have won six straight games and have a one-game lead over Camas (6-3, 3-2) as the 4A GSHL season nears its halfway point.
“Coach (Seth) Johnson pushes us every practice to be game-ready,” Skyview senior Johnny Carter said. “It’s been tough. We haven’t been able to practice outside, so everything has been inside. But we still treat it like a game. It’s been paying off for us.”
Thursday, Skyview used strong pitching by Carter and a clutch hit by Carter Hill to avenge its only league loss. Carter allowed just one hit over six innings, striking out six.
With Skyview down 1-0, Hill drove in two runs with a one-out bases loaded single in the bottom of the fourth. Skyview would score another unearned run in the inning. Daniel Copeland pitched a perfect seventh inning for the save.
Skyview’s two previous games this season against Camas were each decided by one run.
So Hill knew he was in a crucial spot when he came to bat with the bases loaded in the fourth. Skyview had stranded four runners in the first three innings.
“All I wanted to do was put something in play to get some runs in,” Hill said. “Getting a hit and scoring two was even better than I thought.”
That was all the support Carter needed.
The 6-foot-4 right-hander pitched around a walk and an error in the fifth inning. He overcame a leadoff walk and a wild pitch in the sixth inning, striking out the last two batters he faced.
Shutting down Camas offered some redemption for Carter, who walked five and gave up three runs in a 6-5 loss to the Papermakers on March 27.
“Last time against Camas I struggled a little bit, so I had a chip on my shoulder,” he said. “I just wanted to go right at Camas. It was awesome to let my fielders work behind me and not throw around them.”
Hill had two of Skyview’s four hits. The outfielder also had a double and a stolen base in the third inning.
“We’re getting hits when we need them,” he said. “We’re getting runners on, moving them over and getting them in. We’re just taking advantage of the opportunities we’ve got.”
SKYVIEW 3, CAMAS 1
Camas 000 100 0—1 1 2
Skyview 000 300 x—3 4 3
Camas
Pitching — Sam Malychewski 4 IP, 2 K, 2 BB; AJ Geaslan 2 IP, 2 K; Highlights — Taylor Adams 1-3, R; Tanner Howington 0-3, RBI.
Skyview
Pitching — Johnny Carter 6 IP, 6 K; Daniel Copeland 1 IP, save; Highlights — Carter Hill 2-3, 2 RBI, SB; Nick Jennings 1-3, R; Max Rose, 1-2 R.
