PORTLAND, Ore - The Clark Penguins faced a tough outing on Wednesday afternoon, falling 13-0 in five innings to a red-hot Lower Columbia squad that jumped out early and never looked back.
From the very first pitch, Lower Columbia put pressure on Clark's pitching, scoring seven unearned runs in the opening frame before recording a single out. The Penguins' defense faltered early with two costly errors—both charged to shortstop Promise Bond—that opened the floodgates for the Red Devils.
Freshman pitcher Delaney Bollman started the game for Clark but was pulled after facing just five batters without recording an out. Bollman was charged with five runs, all unearned, on two hits and a walk. Lily Ferres took over in relief and battled through two innings, but Lower Columbia kept swinging, adding another six runs—five of them earned—on seven hits. Tessa Treesh finally cooled the Red Devils in the circle, throwing two clean innings to end the game, but the damage had long been done.
Despite the lopsided score, Clark showed moments of resolve. Promise Bond recorded the team's only hit of the game—a sharply hit single in the second inning—and Rylee Purdom reached base with a walk. However, Red Devils pitcher Cerenity Fake dominated the rest of the Penguins' lineup, striking out nine and facing just one batter over the minimum in a five-inning complete game shutout.
Offensively, Lower Columbia was relentless. Lexi Grumbois led the charge, going 3-for-4 with two doubles and three RBIs, while Shaz Ancheta and Kaydence Mackin each drove in multiple runs. The Red Devils pounded out 11 hits in total, including five doubles and a triple.
Clark's bats struggled to find rhythm, as nine of the 16 at-bats ended in strikeouts. Despite the offensive drought and early defensive woes, the Penguins showed no signs of letting up in effort. Sophomore catcher Amber Barela helped keep the dugout energized, and the team continued to compete until the final pitch.
Clark will look to bounce back and regroup as they head into their next matchup, facing #9 Clackamas tonight at 6:30.
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