Wahluke baseballers start strong but fall twice to Ki-Be

MATTAWA - A season that looked really promising after one weekend has become a tough proposition for the Wahluke High School baseball team.

For the third straight Saturday, the Warriors faced one of the South Central A Conference's elite programs and came away with a doubleheader loss. This time it was Kiona-Benton prevailing, 12-2 and 14-5.

"While there were still some defensive mistakes and errors that led to an early deficit in both games, the Warriors continued to battle through both games," coach Matt Watrous said.

The competition won't get any easier this Saturday. The Warriors, 0-4 in the SCAC East, will try to improve their overall 2-6 mark at Zillah at 11 a.m. The division schedule will resume at home with Royal on April 16.

There were some highlights for Wahluke last week. The first game featured good mound work by senior right-hander Jose Jimenez. He gave up only one earned run and struck out seven batters in four innings.

The second game saw improved hitting and base running by Wahluke, but Ki-Be had too much offense.

For the day, Jordan Zirker collected three hits in six appearances at the plate. He rapped a double and drove in two runs.

Oscar Jimenez went 3-for-7, scored a run and drove in a run.