BREMERTON. WA - Clark College battled through a dramatic day on March 28, splitting a doubleheader on the road against Olympic—falling in a heartbreaking opener before responding with a composed, pitching-driven win in Game 2.
The opener was a tale of two games. Clark controlled the action early and looked well on its way to a conference victory behind timely hitting and a strong start on the mound. After four scoreless innings, the Penguins broke through in the fifth when Kaedon Cruse delivered a two-run double to score Drew Yount and Rylan Taguchi.
Clark added to its lead in the sixth with a four-run surge. Yount drove in a run with a single, Caden Taylor worked a bases-loaded walk, and Cruse capped his big day with a two-run single to give the Penguins a commanding 6–0 advantage.
Starter Kenneth Hall was in control through much of his outing, limiting Olympic's offense and keeping hitters off balance into the seventh inning. But momentum shifted quickly as Olympic capitalized on walks and timely hits to score four runs in the seventh, cutting the lead to 6–4.
Despite efforts to hold the line late, Olympic completed the comeback in the ninth. A two-run double tied the game before a walk-off single handed Clark a tough 7–6 loss.
The Penguins quickly regrouped for Game 2 and delivered one of their most complete performances of the season.
Behind a dominant outing from Garrett Maunu, Clark secured a 3–1 victory to earn a split. Maunu was outstanding, tossing a complete game while allowing just three hits and one unearned run, striking out nine and consistently working ahead in counts.
Clark opened the scoring in the second inning when Parker Peschel doubled to drive in Kobin Mullins. After Olympic tied the game in the fifth on an unearned run, the Penguins responded immediately in the sixth.
Yount came around to score on a wild pitch to put Clark back in front, and Taddeo Ituarte followed with an RBI single to extend the lead to 3–1.
From there, Maunu shut the door. Olympic managed little against the right-hander down the stretch, as he closed out the complete game to secure the win.
Across the doubleheader, Cruse led the offensive effort with four RBIs in Game 1, while Ituarte and Mullins contributed key hits throughout the day. Yount's ability to get on base and create scoring opportunities also proved pivotal.
By the end of the day, Clark College showcased both its potential and its resilience—overcoming a disappointing result in the opener with a poised and disciplined response to salvage a split on the road.
With the split, Clark opens West Region play at 2-2 and improves their overall record to 6-11. They return to non-conference action briefly this weekend against Lane before getting back to region play the following week.
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