ML Chiefs sweep Brewster at home
Zane Harden fires a hit for Moses Lake High School on Saturday in the 13-5 win over Brewster High School at Larson Playfield.
Casey McCarthy/Columbia Basin Herald
Moses Lake High School's Miguel Vela makes the throw to first base for the out against Brewster High School on Saturday afternoon.
Moses Lake High School's Jacob Martinez throws a pitch after coming in for relief in the first game of the day versus Brewster High School at Larson Playfield.
Moses Lake High School third baseman Leo Cortez flies into the air as he collides with the runner while trying to secure an errant throw on Saturday against Brewster High School.
Moses Lake High School's Leo Cortez slides into third base on Saturday afternoon at Larson Playfield in Moses Lake.
Moses Lake High School's Jackson Purcell rounds third base as he heads toward home to score against Brewster High School on Saturday in Moses Lake.
Moses Lake High School's Carson Janke throws a pitch in the first game of the day against Brewster High School on Saturday at Larson Playfield in Moses Lake.
Moses Lake High School baseball picked up a sweep of Brewster High School on Saturday at Larson Playfield in Moses Lake.
The Chiefs took an early 2-0 lead in the first game on Saturday before surrendering it in the top of the third at 3-2. Moses Lake fought back with five runs in the bottom of the inning and never trailed again on their way to a 13-5 victory.
Seth Olson finished 2-3 from the plate with a triple and two RBIs. Carson Janke finished with three RBIs on a 1-2 effort from the plate with one double. Asher Lindgren tripled in a 1-2 game from the plate with two runs earned.
The Chiefs pulled ahead in the second game 2-1 in the bottom of the third and added three more before the sixth. Brewster mounted a comeback attempt in the top of the seventh with a pair of runs, but ultimately fell short as the Chiefs won 5-3.
Olson went 3-3 from the plate for Moses Lake with one triple and one RBI. Jackson Purcell, Lindgren and Blaine Macdonald each added hits. Michael Getzinger finished with seven strikeouts for the Chiefs in four and 2/3 innings, giving up just one run on three hits allowed.
The Chiefs are off to a 5-1 start to the season after missing out on defending their 4A state championship in 2020. Head coach Donnie Lindgren said he’s got a young team this year that he’s starting to see grow and mature.
“I’ve got a lot of sophomores and juniors on the team, which in reality are more like freshman and sophomores because they missed an entire year just like every other school,” he said.
Donnie Lindgren said he’s trying to squeeze about two years’ worth of teaching and coaching into a six-week season, which has been hard. He said a lot of the boys who play with him in the summer are picking up things more quickly than the players who aren’t as familiar with his system.
Donnie Lindgren said he’s required a lot of them, but has started to see growth. The toughest part, he said, has been slowing down his teaching to fit the circumstances.
“I threw a whole bunch of stuff at them in the first couple of weeks and they started to get it, but when you don’t get to incorporate it into full-speed game-like situations until games, that really hurt us,” he said. “And our loss against Ephrata is a perfect example.”
Leadoff hitter Olson has been able to do some nice things for the Chiefs all season, he added.
Asher Lindgren has been another steady force for Moses Lake, he said, including coming up with a key play to help hold off Brewster in the second game. Donnie Lindgren said Zane Harden has been “tearing the cover off the ball” recently.
He said the Chiefs have solid hitters all the way through their batting lineup and added he’d feel confident reversing it.
Moses Lake will have a rematch with Ephrata High School on Friday as the Chiefs travel to Ephrata for a doubleheader.
Casey McCarthy can be reached via email at cmccarthy@columbiabasinherald.com.
