CAMAS — The basepaths have been like a fun ride for the Battle Ground softball players.
Round and round they’ve gone. After an 18-4 win over Camas on Wednesday, Tigers players have gone around 29 times in just 12 innings this season.
“They want to be on base and they want to turn it into a merry-go-round,” Battle Ground coach Jeremy Barr said.
One day after an 11-2 season-opening win over Kelso, Battle Ground showed even more offensive firepower at Camas High.
Emma Elliott had six RBI with a grand slam, a triple and a double. Freshman Candice Adams also hit a grand slam.
It’s almost like the Tigers are making up for lost time. Thrilled to be playing this seven-week 4A/3A Greater St. Helens League season, Battle Ground’s hitters have approached every inning like it’s a gift.
“Always having a lot of gratitude,” Elliott said. “Last season got taken away from us. So this season we don’t want to feel that we left anything or forgot to show our gratitude toward the game.”
Elliott’s grand slam was the big blow in a seven-run second inning that put the Tigers ahead 7-1.
She added a two-run triple in the third inning when Battle Ground scored nine runs, all with two outs.
The Tigers’ ability to battle with two outs has impressed their coach.
“What I’m most proud about is their resilience and that they’re swinging for all three outs,” Barr said. “A lot of times we’ve had two outs and nobody on base and they still put up some crooked numbers. They battle for every strike and for every out.”
Adams’ home run was part of that two-out rally. Her first-ever grand slam was a no-doubt laser over the left field fence.
“It was amazing,” Adams said. “I was like ‘that’s going over.’”
Rylee Rehbein had three hits. Mallory Meyer, Alexis Laizure and Kelly Monaghan each had two hits.
Tigers alumna Arielle Wiser coached Battle Ground from 2014-19, reaching the Class 4A state tournament four times. Barr, in his first season as B.G. head coach, believes this team is standing on Wiser’s shoulders.
“So much of what this team is built on is the culture that Arielle Wiser built,” Barr said. “She did such a tremendous job with this program. She built a lot of what these kids are doing today. We all benefit from the work that she put in.”
Elliott said most players on the team grew up in the same neighborhoods and playing for the same teams.
“We’re really connected as a team. We always support each other. Our two-out rallies keep up going. We feed off each other.”
B.Ground 079 02—18 14 0
Camas 101 11—4 8 2
Battle Ground
Pitching — Cady Gruenberg 3 IP 7 K, 2 BB; Jenna Bergren 2 IP 2 K, 1 BB. Highlights — Alexandra Traffalis 1-3, 2 R, SB; Rylee Rehbein 3-4, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2B; Emma Elliott 3-3, 3 R, 6 RBI, grand slam, 3B, 2B, SB; Alexis Laizure 2-5, R, 2 RBI, 2B; Liv Gruenberg 1-2, R, RBI, SB; Cady Gruenberg 1-2, 2 R; Candice Adams 1-4, 2 R, 4 RBI, grand slam, SB; Kelly Monaghan 2-4, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2B.
Camas
Pitching — Lauren Baffaro 2.2 IP, 2 K, 3 BB; Maddie Ellis 2.1 IP, 1 K, 1 BB. Highlights — Azlin Wong 1-3, R; Mercy Canifax 1-3, R; Maddie Ellis 2-2, R, RBI; Molly Peebles 1-3; Alexis Leone 1-2, 2 RBI; Chloe Parker 0-1, R, 2 SB.
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