Rattling Portland

PORTLAND, Ore. – The 18U Moses Lake Rattlers were one of nearly 60 teams to compete at the Triple Crown Valley Invite in Portland, Oregon over the weekend, though the final day of competition was rained out.

“We were supposed to play at 4 p.m. – it was single-elimination, we could have played as many as three games – so it was a little late for a start anyways,” Rattlers Head Coach Lisa Lawrence said. “This tournament is so huge, there’s so many teams. They start at 8 a.m., and you get fit in wherever you get fit in.”

Moses Lake went 2-1 in its three games played: an 8-5 win over Firecrackers WA on Friday night, a 7-2 win over the California Thunder on Saturday morning and a 6-1 loss to the NW Bullets on Saturday afternoon. Teams from Alaska, Colorado, Canada, Hawaii, Idaho, Oregon and Washington traveled to Portland for the tournament.

“We’ve done this tournament a couple times, and it’s really great to see competition that’s outside our normal area,” Lawrence said. “Oftentimes – especially when the teams were younger – you start seeing the same collection of four, five or six teams at most of the tournaments you attend. This type of tournament allows us to see a broader spectrum of competition. Different levels of pitching and hitting, and it’s a really great chance to flex our muscles and see what we can do against a different group of teams.”

Down 3-0 to the Firecrackers in the bottom of the third inning, an RBI single by left fielder Lily DelaRosa gave the Rattlers their first run of the day, adding two more on a two-RBI single by pitcher Elizabeth Heinz to tie the game at three. The Firecrackers retook the lead in the top of the fourth, but Moses Lake scored five runs in the bottom of the fourth to take the lead back for good, riding out to an 8-5 win. Catcher Randi Allred, pitcher Tsalee Mail, first baseman Audrey Bergeson and DelaRosa all drove in runs in the fourth inning.

The offensive success continued in the Rattlers’ second game, a 7-2 win over the California Thunder. Center fielder Addison Lawrence drove in the team’s first run of the game in the bottom of the first inning, though the Thunder rallied to take a 2-1 lead in the top of the fourth. Moses Lake tied the game on an RBI single by catcher Katelyn Kriete, then expanded the lead on a three-run home run by pitcher Jordyn Fray. DelaRosa and second baseman Emilee Morris scored on wild pitches to end the inning, giving Moses Lake its eventual 7-2 final score.

“It was a fun tournament; we scored a lot in those first couple games,” Lawrence said.

Moses Lake’s final game of the tournament was a 6-1 loss to the NW Bullets on Saturday evening, where the Bullets scored all six of their runs across the final three innings. Sunday’s games were canceled due to the weather.

In order to meet team requirements to compete in tournaments throughout the summer, the Rattlers occasionally have “pick-up” players suit up to play in the tournaments, she said.

“It makes for an interesting experience; it’s actually kind of special,” Lawrence said. “You have to build some instant chemistry to get everything clicking, and it makes for a really fun experience overall.”

The next tournament for the Rattlers is on July 8-9 at the D-Bats Summer Series in Tri-Cities.

Ian Bivona may be reached via email at ibivona@columbiabasinherald.com.