Soap Lake baseball shuts down Manson
Rodney Harwood/Columbia Basin Herald Soap Lake runner Jackson Gray scores in the second inning as Manson pitcher Avery Thompson tries to make the play during Tuesday's game in Soap Lake.
Rodney Harwood/Columbia Basin Herald Soap Lake right-hander Colton Minoletti went the distance for the Eagles in their 9-2 victory over Manson on Tuesday in Soap Lake.
SOAP LAKE — Soap Lake starter Colton Minoletti went the distance and the Eagles blew the game open with six runs in the sixth inning to beat Manson 9-2 in Tuesday’s Central Washington 2B game at Bob Nacke Field.
Minoletti struck out nine and didn’t allow a hit until the sixth inning. He scattered three hits and hit a batter in seven innings of work. The Eagles (9-3), who have won two of their last three after being swept by conference front-runner Brewster, came on with the late charge to win.
“I wasn’t too thrilled with the first five innings, but we finally showed up and played the way we play. So I’m happy with the end result,” said Soap Lake coach Austin Chamberlin. “We’re 12 games into the schedule and we’re 9-3, so I’m pretty happy with that. But we have a long ways to go because our goal is to make the playoffs.”
Minoletti struck out two of the first four batters faced and five in the first three innings. He worked his fastball to set up batters and came in with the breaking stuff to keep the Trojans (2-6) off balance through six innings when he finally gave up a double to Cameron Mason.
“I feel like I lost my command late and had to regroup a little bit,” Minoletti said. “I don’t have to worry, they play pretty good defense behind me. We have a lot of experience. It’s not just all on me because we have a great rotation. We have Toby (Hartzell) who has a nasty slider. Jackson (Gray) can hit the corners. We have Brayden (Winters) who likes to work the change-up. So we’re pretty strong in our rotation.”
Soap Lake scored six runs on four hits and took advantage of a walk and a hit batter to break open a 3-2 game in the sixth inning. They got singles from Dylan Morganthaler and Fran Flores at the bottom the order. Minoletti and Gray also singled.
“That’s the thing about this team is that we contribute,” Minoletti said about the Eagles, who are 7-1 at home this season.
Soap Lake opened a 3-0 lead with single runs in the first, second and fourth innings and erupted for six in the sixth inning to close things out. Isaiah Ewing and Flores went 3-for-3.
The Eagles have a doubleheader at Oroville on Thursday.
Score by innings
Manson 000 200 0 - 2 3 2
Soap Lake 110 106 x - 9 10 1
HITS: Isaiah Ewing, Fran Flores 3-for-3