The Lower Columbia baseball team got off to a good start in West Region play by winning a pair of games at Story Field.
 
Saturday April 2
 
(Longview, WA) – Michael Schwarz and Cole Bertram combined on the shutout as the Red Devils defeated Pierce 4-0.
 
LCC jumped on the Raiders with three runs in the first inning thanks to two hit-by-pitches and a bases load walk.
 
Easton Amundson's RBI single in the third inning would be the final score of the game.
 
Schwarz, the freshman lefty from Spokane, was outstanding over six innings. He allowed just four singles and struck out six batters. Bertram came on and pitched around some on-base traffic to collect the three inning save. Bertram allowed four hits and struck out four.
 
Sunday April 3
 
(Longview, WA) – The Devils had to come from behind to beat the Centralia Trailblazers 11-6 on Sunday.
 
Ryan Pitts, who earlier in the week committed to the University of Nevada, had trouble with his command and departed the game trailing 5-1.
 
Freshman lefty Brayden Marcum came on provided sterling relief. Marcum put up 4 2/3 innings of scoreless baseball allowing just two hits with five strikeouts.  Marcum allowed his team to get back into the game and the winning pitcher. Aaron Robertson was solid pitching the last two innings including a strikeout to end the game, one of his three K's in his outing.
 
Down 5-1 in the bottom of the 4^th inning, the Devils scored two runs on a Ethan Stacy sacrifice fly and a Daniel Gernon RBI single.
 
Still down 5-3 in the 5^th, Kyle Parkman hit a mammoth solo home run that cleared the batting barn roof in centerfield.  The massive blast kick-started a four run frame that gave the Devils the lead they would not relinquish.  With the bases loaded, Stacy cleared them all with a three-run triple down the line and into the right field corner.
 
The Devils added three insurance runs in the 7^th on a Matthew Schwarz RBI single, a Gernon sac fly and an Eric Luchies RBI base hit.
 
Schwarz was hit by a pitch in his first four plate appearances on Sunday, believed to be a school record.  Centralia pitchers hit seven LCC batters in the game.
 
With the victories, the Devils go to 2-0 in league play and 17-5 overall.  LCC will take on Green River in a 5 pm single game on Wednesday April 6^th at Hogan Park in Kent.
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