Whether Clark College baseball reaches the postseason will likely depend on this weekend.
The Penguins play a pair of doubleheaders against Pierce College in a clash of teams battling for the last of four postseason berths in the Northwest Athletic Conference’s West Region.
Fourth-place Pierce is 8-8 in regional play with Clark just one game behind. The teams play a 1 p.m. doubleheader at Kindsfather Field on Saturday before clashing again Sunday with two games in Tacoma.
With just two weeks left in the regular season, both teams will be seeking the inside track on the West Region’s No. 4 seed.
Seeds No. 2 through 4 advance to the Super Regionals on May 16-18 while four regional champions gain automatic berths to the NWAC Championships May 22-26 at Story Field in Longview.
Home was kind but the road was rough this past weekend for the Penguins.
Clark (14-18, 7-9) swept a doubleheader against Centralia on Saturday at Kindsfather Field, taking the first game 13-3 before winning the nightcap 8-5.
But Clark saw its fortunes reversed on Sunday in Centralia, falling 5-4 and 7-1.
Tyler Ramelli threw a seven-inning complete game in the opener Saturday, allowing six hits to improve to 3-1. Kobin Mullens and Kaiden Hernandez each had four RBI and Evan McGuire hit his first home run on the season.
McGuire was the winning pitcher in the Saturday nightcap. The sophomore from Union High School struck out seven, allowing six hits and one walk over seven innings.
Softball
Record: 11-23, 7-13, fifth NWAC South.
Last week: The Penguins ran into the juggernaut that is undefeated Lower Columbia, losing 15-1 and 24-1 in a doubleheader on Friday.
Promise Bond went a combined 2 for 5, including Clark’s only hit in the first game. The freshman from Hudson’s Bay High School has a team-leading batting average of .394 and has a base hit in nine of the past 10 games.
This week: Clark hosts Centralia (11-22) for a 3 p.m. doubleheader Friday. Prior to the first game, a ceremony will be held to officially dedicate Raines Field. The event will honor the contributions of longtime Clark athletics donor Wilma Raines and honor the memory of her husband Jim Raines and daughter Jami Shogren. The Penguins then head to Aberdeen for a Saturday doubleheader against Grays Harbor (14-24).
Track and Field
Last week: The Penguins had the week off from competition.
This week: Clark athletes will compete in the Oregon State University High Performance meet Friday and Saturday in Corvallis. It is the last meet before the NWAC Southern Regionals on May 10 in Eugene.
