Tigers sweep Grandview, move to 5-1

EPHRATA — Even though the weather was cold and wet to start Friday afternoon’s doubleheader against Grandview, the Ephrata bats stayed hot en route to 16-0 and 16-1 wins over the Greyhounds.

“It was really good that the girls were seeing the ball better today and were able to be more patient at the plate,” Ephrata Head Coach Heather Wood said.

After two early outs in the bottom of the first inning, the Tiger bats came alive for three hits and took advantage of walks to amass an early 7-0 lead. The offensive showing continued into the bottom of the second inning, where junior Peyton Trautman and sophomore Jaemyson Durfee hit back-to-back home runs to start the inning.

“I saw the ball coming in toward the outside of the plate and I knew, since I’ve been working on outside pitches, that I needed to go toward right field,” Durfee said. “I just swung my bat as hard as I could because it was right down the middle, in my opinion.”

Having returned to the top of the order, sophomore Kaydence Hector hit a three-run homer to give Ephrata a 12-0 lead. Sophomores Olivia Bicondova, Maya Van Velkinburgh and Durfee added RBIs in the latter second and third innings to push the score to 16-0, ending the game in the fourth inning.

“I go up to the plate with an aggressive mindset, that’s just how I play,” Hector said

By the end of the first inning of the nightcap, Ephrata had taken a 15-0 lead. The Tigers recorded 12 hits in the first inning alone.

“It hypes all of us up, so we feel the need to give 100% effort all the time,” Durfee said of the batting success. “It makes us really happy because we love and support one another.”

Grandview scored its first run of the day in the top of the third inning, but the Tigers went back up by 15 on a bases-loaded walk to make it 16-1, ending the game in the bottom of the third inning.

The Tigers have scored eight or more runs in five games this season, all were wins.

“Eight of 12 players are pitchers or catchers, so they’re able to see the ball better,” Wood said. “They either see it coming in off the pitcher, or the pitcher throws it. They’re able to pick up different spins or different movements of the ball.”

The strong plate appearances were contagious throughout the Tiger batting order, as Ephrata recorded 17 hits in the first game and 14 hits in the second game.

“We love hitting, we practice it all the time,” Durfee said. “We’re happy that we can carry on what we do in practice into a game.”

Hector said the bats coming alive feeds into other aspects of the game.

“It affects us throughout the game,” Hector said. “If we’re hitting good, I feel like our defense is definitely good. It carries on throughout the game.”

The wins moved the Tigers to 5-1 on the year. Next on the schedule is a road trip to East Valley (Yakima) on April 1.

“We’re ready to be in the top four (of the league) this year,” Wood said. “We’re wanting to be one of the teams that people are scared to play.”

Ian Bivona may be reached at ibivona@columbiabasinherald.com. Submit your game photos for consideration for publication to Ian.