West Linn High School Baseball

Remembering Nine Years With The Senior Class

Tonight’s baseball banquet was an emotional one for me and not because for the second straight year the coaching staff failed to acknowledge my contribution to the program in the game recaps I’ve been writing for three years. It was emotional because it puts an exclamation point on an unavoidable truth: the Tawa family in general and Tim in particular are in the midst of transition.

Tim first started playing with many of the graduated ballplayers in the fall of his second-grade year, when Mike Wells was the coach and Ryan Klose still played baseball. I wrote recaps for the Tidings back then and remember calling Will Matthiessen “The Show” after a particularly impressive outing. He would be a star attraction for this senior class for the next nine years.

Trevor Wells was on that team and was feisty even as a youngster. I remember a hat stomp at Alpenrose that got everyone’s attention. Eventually, Well took his place as a stellar mounds man with an assortment of pitches he could throw “all for strikes,” and I’ll always remember that he coined the “Red Bull” cheer the 10-year-old World Series team  took all the way to Lamar, Colorado. 

Tate Hoffman was on that fall ball team as well. I remember sharing my opinion with his father, Jeff, that Tate would be a monster hitter some day. I was right on about that one. I’ll never forget Central Catholic last year. That left field fence looked like it was a mile away but he cleared it with ease!

Later that spring, Tim was lucky enough to be drafted on a Rec Ball team coached by Ken Daugherty and Mark Perkins. He got to meet Jake Perkins, who had so much natural talent; and Drew Daugherty, who was still trying to figure it out. I’m sorry Drew didn’t get to play his senior year but I so admire all the work he put in to become a strong ball player. I’ve told him so many times. Drew also is the only player to graduate from West Linn with a perfect 1.000 career batting average.

Jake Perkins found his swing in seventh grade playing Senior American. A winter working with Jason Porter had Jake ready to break out and boy did he! He became a line-drive hitting machine and that never abated.

Playing on that Rec Ball team, I was introduced to Brayden Pene for the first time. Brayden was an absolute menace on the base paths, so much so that our fine coaches had to devise ways to stop him stealing on a simple throw back to the pitcher! Pene eventually became more than a base stealer. He developed a potent bat and a gritty personality and worked his butt off to become the best HS second sacker I’ve ever seen.

We got to know Daniel Ferrario that summer on the 9A All-Star team. Daniel, who’d moved to Oregon that year, hit a walk off in Rec Ball when things looked dire to key his team’s championship run, but was better known to me during All-Stars as that brute behind home plate who stopped players trying to score in their tracks.

I got to know Daniel’s father, Rick, quite well a year later during Regionals in Meridian, Idaho, when we both got a little too excited on Day 1 and had to watch the rest of the tournament from the sidewalk.

In Tim’s 10-year-old year, a bunch of the seniors “played down” to help the team try to reach the World Series. Hoffman, Wells and Austin Pesicka joined current juniors Tim, Jake Porter and Chase Cosner to form a team that went 50-1 heading into the World Series in Colorado and finished third in the nation! A highlight was rallying from down 14-3 in the third versus Visalia, California to win, 17-16, in the opener. I lost a bet that day and paid the price later that night, but it was more than worth it!

Austin wasn’t much of a player for us that year, but he was a great teammate and better kid. I spent much of the World Series hanging out with his dad, Greg, and it was easy to see where Austin got his demeanor.  I’m so happy that Austin hung with baseball. Because as he grew and matured, he became a darned good player. In all areas. It culminated with his being an integral pitcher for the varsity this year!

When Tim was in fifth grade, he played Rec Ball for Coach Ray Pearson’s championship team. Tim hit a three-run dinger in the first inning of the final off of Ryan Johnson to set the tone. RJ had a good arm back then but it kept getting better and better. I noticed it his junior year when he caught and would throw down to second. This year he wowed me. Kid has a bright future!

All-Stars that year was as much fun as a 12-year-old team could have. So many homers!! We were 2-1 versus Willamette Valley (AKA Sheldon) going into the Regional final with a trip to the Cal Ripken World Series on the line. But it wasn’t meant to be.

A year later, with Brayden bunting at the Federal level, the two American teams dueled for the County championship with five of the seniors playing prominent roles. At 13s one year after that, we fought through the loser’s bracket to get to the state championship game versus Sherwood before sending Brayden off to Hawaii with stitches on his face from an unfortunate ball incident.

Arguably the best hitter on that team was Haven Fritts. He worked his way from the bottom of the lineup to its heart with great approaches that resulted in big hit after big hit.

Ten seniors. Tim’s played multiple years with all of them, won with all of them, made lifelong memories with all of them.

It may be time for a new chapter, but the one these boys wrote together, starting when they were in third grade, was pretty compelling.

Best of luck to all of you and to your wonderful parents: come by Brown Field next year for the fifth-inning stretch and the 2017 Lions try to finish up some business.

Season, Era, Ends at Sheldon

Tate Hoffman, one of 10 seniors on the West Linn varsity baseball team, came to the plate as the tying run on Friday at Sheldon in a 6A quarterfinal playoff game. The Lions, down 6-0 after five innings to the top-seeded and defending state champion Irish, had rallied with a run in the sixth and three in the seventh and were still rallying. One more big fly, matching Will Matthiessen’s three-run shot earlier in the inning, and the six-run comeback would be complete.

Alas, it was not meant to be.

But it was close. Oh so close. Sheldon tracked down Hoffman’s line drive to right on the warning track. The final out, in a 7-4 defeat, not only brought an end to the 2016 season for head coach Joe Monahan, his staff and players, it signaled the end of an era in Lion baseball.

West Linn had its chances in  a game that was 1-0 heading to the bottom of the fifth. The Lions threatened in the first on a Tim Tawa one-out single and Jake Porter walk, but could not cash in. They had the leadoff runner on in the third, when Evan King opened with a line-drive single to left; a one-out hit from Porter in the fourth and a leadoff single from Jake Perkins in the fifth. Each time, West Linn failed to do what was necessary – both the little things and the bigger ones – to plate a run.

Sheldon, meanwhile, was playing its trademark, aggressive style, which put pressure on starting pitcher Matthiessen and the defense backing him. On a one-out single in the bottom of the first, the runner advanced to second on a wild pitch, and scored on an 0-2 seeing eye single through the hole. A terrific double play turned by Tawa and Brayden Pene prevented further damage.

Matthiessen, pitching courageously on just three days’ rest, got out of the next three innings unscathed, aided by terrific defensive plays from King in left, Pene at second and Tawa at short; but he wasn’t so lucky in the fifth. The Stanford-bound senior plunked the first batter he faced, then watched as the next hitter’s two-strike bunt attempt hugged the line before unbelievably staying fair. A wild pitch and intentional walk loaded the bases with none out and opened the floodgates to a five-run inning.

Trailing 6-0, West Linn (21-9) got on the board in the top of the sixth when Tawa opened with a single and scored on Pene’s RBI base hit. The Lions left two on in the frame, however, and would strand eight baserunners before the game was done.

Sheldon got the run back in the bottom of the sixth on a hit batsmen, walk, wild pitch, walk and double play grounder and led, 7-1, going to the top of the seventh.

Pinch hitter Garrett Marioni reached on a hit by pitch to open the last inning for West Linn, which had a runner on with none or one out in six of the seven innings. Chase Cosner walked with one out to continue the threat and Matthiessen hit a three-run homer, his eighth, with two outs to give the Lions life. Porter, who was on all four times, reached on a hit by pitch and Pene singled sharply to extend the rally for Hoffman, who came so close to wearing the hero’s cape.

A tip of the cap to West Linn’s 10 seniors – Matthiessen, Pene, Hoffman, Perkins, Ryan Johnson, Daniel Ferrario, Trevor Wells, Austin Pesicka, Haven Fritts and Drew Daugherty -- whose high school careers came to a close with the loss. When these players were freshmen, the West Linn varsity won a total of five games. In the three years since, the Lions won 61 and last year reached the state championship game. That’s program building, legacy defining and something to be proud of.

Long Balls Spark Playoff Win

West Linn hit two home runs on Wednesday to defeat visiting Sprague, 5-3, in a second-round playoff game, snapping the Olympians’ eight-game winning streak.

The game was scoreless in the bottom of the third, when Evan King and Chase Cosner laid down perfect one-out bunts to reach base. Jake Porter singled to knock in King and Tim Tawa followed with a three-run homer, his fifth of the season, to break the game open.  Will Matthiessen, who doubled in his first at-bat, piled on with his seventh big fly on the year to complete the five-run frame.

Sprague, which did not have a hit through three innings, as starting pitcher Garrison Ritter induced ground ball after ground ball, got to the junior in the top of the fourth, chasing the right hander with two in, two on and no one out. Hard-throwing senior Ryan Johnson came on and limited further damage to just one run and pitched two more scoreless innings in a clutch, season-saving performance. Tawa tossed a 1-2-3 seventh to preserve the win for Ritter and pick up his fifth save on the season.

With losses by Lake Oswego, Lakeridge and Sherwood, West Linn (21-8) is the lone TRL team left in the 6A playoffs. The Lions will take on top seed Sheldon on Friday in Eugene in a rematch of last year’s state championship game, which the Irish won, 2-1, in the bottom of the seventh.

Matthiessen Saves the Season Three Ways

Stanford-bound senior Will Matthiessen was immense, on the mound, at the plate and in the field, as West Linn won a first-round Class 6A playoff nail biter, 4-3, over South Medford at home on Monday.

The tall right hander threw six good innings, hit a go-ahead three-run homer and made a sterling game-ending defensive play when it appeared the Panthers were primed to tie.

South Medford, which came to Brown Field with a sub-.500 record, played nothing like a decided underdog. The long drive did not bother the Panthers, who scored a run in the top of the first on two hits. West Linn responded with the equalizer in the bottom of the frame, as Tim Tawa’s ringing double plated Chase Cosner, who’d led off with a walk.

South Medford went ahead in the third, thanks to a single and double to open the inning, but Matthiessen was able to limit the damage to a single run. Matthiessen then put the Lions on top for good by pounding a 3-2, two-out, change up way over the wall in left center, scoring Cosner and Tawa, who had both singled, ahead of him.

Mathiessen did not allow a run thereafter and yielded to Tawa after giving up seven hits, walking none and striking out three over six innings.

Tawa, gunning for his fourth save of the year, faced adversity immediately as the leadoff batter reached on fisted single to right that turned into a bad-hop triple. A walk and a bloop drove home one run and put runners on first and second with two out and the Panther clean-up batter up. The lefty swinger scorched a Tawa fastball to the left of Matthiessen at third. The 6-7 senior used his long arms to stab the line drive, preserving the victory.

The win ran West Linn’s record to 20-8 on the season, the Lions’ second 20-win season in a row. Matthiessen won his eighth game, matching his win total from a year ago.

West Linn will play Sprague at home on Wednesday at 5 p.m. The Salem school upset higher-seeded Gresham, 7-3, in the first round.

Lions Hold On To Best Barlow, 9-7

West Linn tuned up for its Monday home playoff opener versus South Medford by defeating Barlow, 9-7, in an OSAA Foundation Game played Thursday at home. The Lions never trailed but were tested throughout by a Bruin team that outhit West Linn 14 to 13.

West Linn got on the board first in the bottom of the opening frame, thanks to four walks, the last of which, to Tate Hoffman, scored Chase Cosner.

Four consecutive hits to open the bottom of the third, including an RBI double from Will Matthiessen and Hoffman’s  run-scoring single, sparked a three-run rally that extended the Lion lead to 4-0.

Barlow, which left the bases loaded in the second and third innings, struck for two in the top of the fourth to cut the lead in half but West Linn responded with a run in the bottom of the frame, after Tim Tawa got his second hit, stole his second base and scored his second run in as many innings, coming home on a nifty slide to give Jake Perkins an RBI sacrifice fly.

Barlow benefited from four walks and a hit batsmen to score three in the top of the fifth to tie the game. Once again, West Linn responded in its half of the inning, as Cosner’s sacrifice fly plated Perkins, who’d led off with a single. Three more runs followed for the Lions in the bottom of the sixth, highlighted by RBI doubles from Hoffman and Micah Gibson and Evan King’s first career RBI, a sacrifice fly that plated Perkins.

Barlow put a scare into West Linn in the top of the seventh with two runs and brought the tying run to the plate, but reliever Ryan Johnson induced a comebacker to end the game and make a winner of sophomore Zach Anderson, who was making his varsity debut.

All nine West Linn batters produced hits on this day. Cosner had a perfect day, with two hits, two walks and a sacrifice fly. Hoffman drove in three and scored two.

Lions Do Away With Liberty To Get Back On Track

Will Matthiessen tossed five shutout innings, Chase Cosner had three hits and Jake Porter and Tate Hoffman drove in two runs apiece in West Linn’s 7-2 victory over Liberty at Ron Tonkin Field in Hillsboro on Monday night.

West Linn (18-8) put this game away early by scoring in each of four of the first five innings. Tim Tawa doubled to lead off the first and scored on a wild pitch. The Lions added four in the third when Garrett Marioni walked and Tawa singled to set the table for Jake Porter’s ground rule double to left. Hoffman followed with a two-run single one out later and Jake Perkins capped the scoring with a sacrifice fly.

Marioni walked again in the fourth, stole second and scored on Porter’s sacrifice fly to make it 6-0 West Linn for Matthiessen, who allowed only two hits and walked one in winning his seventh game of the season.

West Linn played some Keystone Cops defense in the sixth to yield two runs, but got one back in the seventh on a double by Brayden Pene and Cosner’s RBI single.  Both Ryan Driscoll and Tawa were effective in relief.

West Linn plays one more game before the playoffs, versus Barlow. The game is scheduled for Thursday at Barlow but may get moved up a day and to a different venue. Stay tuned.

Five Unearned Runs Send Lions To Fourth Loss In Five Games

West Linn committed five more errors, leading to five unearned runs in an 8-4 loss at Lakeridge on Wednesday to close league play. The Lions (17-8) have lost three in a row heading to an away game at Liberty on Monday.

An error and two misplayed balls had West Linn in a 3-0 hole in the bottom of the first. The Lions pulled within one immediately in the top of the second, sparked by consecutive doubles from Jake Perkins and Micah Gibson. Lakeridge added an unearned run on two West Linn errors in the bottom of the second only to see the Lions score twice in the top of the third, including an RBI single from Brayden Pene, to tie the score.

Lakeridge wasted no time untying it, as it used a three-run homer to vault back into the lead and added an unearned run later in the inning to double up the Lions. West Linn had several threats thereafter but could not score.

Pene and Chase Cosner were hitting standouts for the Lions. Will Matthiessen was effective in two relief innings.

Pacers Drop Lions on Senior Night

Too many errors, too many walks allowed and too few timely hits all contributed to a most disappointing 6-3 home loss on Tuesday to Lakeridge on Senior Day.

Lions Listless in Home Loss

West Linn hit some balls hard for outs but was otherwise outplayed by Sherwood Friday in a 6-3 loss that all but eliminated the Lions’ chances to win or share the league title. The effort all around was disappointing.

West Linn is now 17-6 on the season.

Pesicka Gem Gets Lions Back On Track

Austin Pesicka tossed a complete-game four-hitter to pace West Linn to a 4-2 win at Sherwood on Thursday afternoon. It was the Lions’ first game since having their 10-game winning streak snapped, 2-1, on Tuesday.

The senior right hander gave up hits to the first two batters he faced. They both scored on sacrifice flies. He did not allow a runner beyond second base the rest of the way and retired the top of the order 1-2-3 in the bottom of the seventh to finish with a flourish and improve to 5-0 on the season.

The offense produced single runs in the first, fourth, fifth and sixth innings.

A two-out walk to Tate Hoffman in the first paved the way for Brayden Pene’s ringing RBI double off the top of the fence in left center.

One-out singles from Trevor Wells and Jake Porter, and Jake Perkins hard shot to right center that was dropped, helped West Linn knot the game at 2-2 in the fourth.

Will Matthiessen led off the top of the fifth with a long double and moved to third on Hoffman’s single. Pene’s sacrifice fly brought Matthiessen home with the go-ahead run.

West Linn (17-5 (11-3 in the TRL)) added an insurance run in the top of the sixth, when Porter, who was 2-for-2 on the day, walked leading off. After Perkins sacrificed him to second, Porter came home on Chase Cosner’s two-out single through the hole.

That was more than enough for Pesicka, who got stronger and stronger as the game went along.

West Linn and Sherwood play at West Linn tomorrow in the series finale. The Lions remain one game behind Lake Oswego for the league lead.

Game time is 5 p.m. 

Streak Ends at 10 in 2-1 Loss to Sherwood 

Sherwood scored one run on a bases loaded walk and another on a throwing error. On a day when hard-hit balls were outs for West Linn, that was enough to send the Lions down to defeat, 2-1, ending a 10-game winning streak.

West Linn (16-5) outhit Sherwood five to three, but the batted balls that did not result in hits; blasts by Trevor Wells, Chase Cosner, Jake Perkins and Tim Tawa, were the reason for the Lions’ demise.

Trailing 2-0 in the bottom of the sixth, a walk and long one-out double by Brayden Pene plated West Linn’s only run of the game.  The Lions, who stranded two in the first and one in the fourth, stranded one more in the sixth. In the bottom of the seventh, Cosner and Tawa scratched out infield hits with two outs and advanced one base each on a wild pitch. Will Matthiessen was walked intentionally, loading the bases, but a bang-bang play at first did not go West Linn’s way and ended the game.

The same two teams get after it again tomorrow at Sherwood.

Weather Delays But Does Not Prevent Sweep Of Tigard

The rain and lightning came Friday afternoon at Tigard with West Linn ahead 1-0 after half an inning thanks to an unearned run. When play resumed at noon on Saturday, the Lions picked up where they left off in the series, using strong pitching and extra base hitting to dominate Tigard, 7-1, for the three-game series sweep. The win was the tenth in a row for West Linn, which improved to 16-4 on the year, 10-2 in the Three Rivers League.

Will Matthiessen went six scoreless innings on the mound to get the win, improving his record to 6-1 on the year. He also ripped an RBI double, one of five two-base hits on the day for West Linn.

Tim Tawa had three of the five doubles, scored a run and drove in two to lead the offensive attack along with Jake Porter, who had a single and double and also drove in two. Sophomore catcher Micah Gibson continued his hot streak with two hits and was on base three times.

West Linn, now ranked fifth in the state in Class 6A, opens a critical three-game series versus Sherwood at home on Tuesday. Game time is 5 p.m.

Two Matthiessen Bombs Fuel 9-0 Win Over Tigard

With two outs in the fifth inning of West Linn’s home game versus Tigard on Wednesday, the homestanding Lions did not have a single hit.

They had four doubles, a triple and a home run, but no singles. West Linn tacked on a few safeties in the latter innings and one more big fly in a 9-0 shutout of Tigard, which ran the Lions’ winning streak to nine in a row.

Austin Pesicka went six strong innings, fanning six while walking none, to pick up his fourth win of the year. Ryan Johnson finished up with a scoreless seventh.

Pesicka would get all the support he needed in the first when Will Matthiessen doubled to the fence with one out and scored on an errant pick-off attempt. Matthiessen blasted a deep homer in the third, scoring Chase Cosner, who had tripled, in front of him, and came home to score in the fifth, when Tate Hoffman’s two-out double also brought home pinch runner Evan King, who was on base for catcher Micah Gibson, who had opened the inning with a double.

In the sixth,  Jake Perkins’ one-out single and a Gibson walk set the table for Cosner’s RBI single. One out later, Matthiessen launched his second homer of the game into the tennis courts to supply the final margin. Matthiessen finished the day 3-for-3 with four runs scored, two homers and five runs batted in.

West Linn improved to 15-4 with the win, 9-2 in the Three Rivers League. The Lions and Tigard get after it again on Friday at Tigard. Game time is 4:30.

Lions Do Just Enough to Win at Tigard

Jake Perkins’ third hit of the day, a bunt that surprised the Tigard defense, helped produce the go-ahead run in the sixth inning of a pitcher’s duel, which West Linn won, 2-1, to extend its winning streak to eight straight.

Three Lion pitchers combined on a two-hitter to stifle Tigard, which had only five runners on base the entire game. Garrison Ritter, on in relief of Trevor Wells, picked up the win. Tim Tawa threw the last two innings to pick up his third save.

West Linn scored single runs in the fourth and sixth but threatened in several others. A run in the first was wiped out by a bizarre runner’s interference call at first base. The lack of a timely hit thwarted scoring chances in the second and third innings and a popped up bunt in the sixth resulted in a double play that prevented a bigger inning.

West Linn (14-4; 8-2 in the TRL) scored in the fourth when Wells led off with a single, advanced to third on a Perkins hit and scored on Chase Cosner’s two-out single to center.

Tigard tied the game in the bottom of the frame on a two-out single to left, but that was the only inning in which the Tigers would threaten. West Linn got Wells on via walk in the top of the sixth, moved him to second on Jake Porter’s perfect sacrifice and he scored when Tigard threw away Perkins’ bunt trying to get him at first.

In addition to Perkins’ hit hat trick, Tawa had two, Wells, Cosner and Micah Gibson each had one.

West Linn will host Tigard tomorrow at 5 p.m. in the second game of the three-game series.

Matthiessen, Three Relievers One-Hit Newberg, 8-0

West Linn completed a series sweep of Newberg on Friday at home, as senior starter Will Matthiessen and three relievers yielded just one hit and faced the minimum 21 batters in an 8-0 shutout of the Tigers.

Matthiessen went four strong innings to pick up his fifth win of the season. He yielded just a first-inning single, but the runner was erased by catcher Micah Gibson on a steal attempt. Ryan Johnson, Garrison Ritter and Tim Tawa each pitched one inning for the Lions, who are now 13-4 and riding a seven-game winning streak.

West Linn got all the offense it would need in a six-run second inning. Trevor Wells got things started with a single. Jake Porter reached on an error and Jake Perkins was hit with a pitch, loading the bases with no one out. After Gibson walked to drive in one, Chase Cosner plated two with a double and Tawa followed with a three-run homer, his fourth of the year.

West Linn added a run in the third, on a single by Perkins and Cosner’s second double of the game, and completed its scoring with one in the fourth, when Tate Hoffman tripled to bring home Matthiessen, who had singled.

West Linn begins a three-game series with Tigard on the road at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The Tigers are 9-8 overall but have lost five in a row.

Battery of Pesicka and Gibson Carry Lions Past Newberg

Pitcher Austin Pesicka was masterful and catcher Micah Gibson shined both offensively and defensively as West Linn survived a tense game on Wednesday at Newberg, plating four runs in the top of the seventh to win, 5-1. The win was West Linn’s sixth in a row and improved the Lions’ TRL record to 6-2, one-half game behind Lake Oswego for the league lead.

West Linn (12-4) broke on top in the second when Jake Porter doubled to the gap and scored on Gibson’s two-out triple. Newberg answered with an unearned run in the bottom of the third and the game stayed that way, thanks to Gibson throwing out two would-be base stealers, until the seventh.

That’s when the bats came alive.

After Gibson walked to lead off and Chase Cosner sacrificed him to second, Tim Tawa walked intentionally to set up a force that never happened. Will Matthiessen singled to score pinch runner Garrett Marioni. Tate Hoffman singled to drive home Tawa. Brayden Pene’s single through the hole scored Matthiessen and Porter’s second hit of the day knocked in Hoffman.

The 5-1 lead was more than enough for Pesicka, who was in command throughout and got help from Matthiessen on a slow roller for the game’s final out to complete the route-going performance.

The offense totaled seven hits, led by two each from Porter and Gibson.

Big Innings Propel Lions Past Newberg

West Linn scored four in the second and eight in the fourth to roar past Newberg, 14-1, on Tuesday at Brown Field. The Lions (11-4 (5-2 in league)) amassed 15 hits to win their fifth game in a row, the past four by double digits. The offensive onslaught made a winner of Trevor Wells, who improved to 5-1 by tossing five innings of two-hit ball.

Wells opened the four-run second with a line drive single to center. Jake Porter, Jake Perkins, Micah Gibson and Chase Cosner all followed with singles, Gibson’s scoring two runs. Brayden Pene walked with the bases loaded to score the final run of the frame.

Newberg scored its lone run in the top of the third but couldn’t get much done against Wells, who struck out four and got nice defense from Will Matthiessen at third.

Tim Tawa led off the bottom of the fourth with an infield hit, stole two bases and scored. He also capped the eight-run inning with a three-run homer. In between, Matthiessen had a single, Tate Hoffman ripped his second double of the game, driving in one; Wells drove in one, Gibson picked up his third RBI of the game with a single to center and Cosner drove in a run with his second hit of the game.

West Linn tacked on two more in the bottom of the sixth, as Hoffman drove home two more with a single to left.

Ryan Driscoll and Daniel Ferrario each pitched an inning of scoreless relief for West Linn, which travels to Newberg tomorrow for the second game in this week’s series, which concludes Friday at home.

West Linn Romps Again

Tate Hoffman and Jake Porter homered, Brayden Pene drove in five, Tim Tawa had four hits and Micah Gibson had two hits and two RBIs as West Linn reached double figures for the third straight game, clubbing Canby at home on Friday, 13-2.

Canby led off the game with a homer off of winner Will Matthiessen (4-1), but the Lions answered with a solo shot by Hoffman, his first of the season, in the bottom of the frame.

The first of two Pene doubles plated two as part of a three-run third.

Pene cleared the sacks with a two-out double off the fence as West Linn scored three more in the bottom of the fourth.

A homer by Porter, the first of his career, highlighted a two-run fifth.

Three doubles, by Cole Kinman leading off the inning; by Gibson to drive in two; and by Tawa to drive in one; highlighted a four-run sixth inning that provided the final margin.

Matthiessen went five innings on the mound, yielding just one run, to earn the victory. Garrison Ritter pitched the sixth and Tawa finished up with a scoreless seventh for the Lions, who improved to 10-4 with the win, 4-2 in the Three Rivers League.

West Linn’s next game is Tuesday at home versus Newberg. Game time is 5 p.m.

Bats Stay Hot in Canby Win

Will Matthiessen clubbed two homers and drove in five and West Linn scored in double digits for the second game this week, trouncing Canby 14-4 on the road on Wednesday.

The Lions (9-4 (3-2 in the TRL)) jumped on Canby for five in the first. Matthiessen hit a one-out homer to straightaway center. Jake Porter and Jake Perkins delivered RBI singles to score Tate Hoffman and Brayden Pene, who singled in front of them. Micah Gibson delivered an RBI fielder’s choice and Porter scored on a wild pitch.

Canby responded with two of its own, one earned, in the bottom of the first off of senior Austin Pesicka. West Linn countered with a single run in the second when Tawa, who had walked and stolen second, came home on a throwing error; and tacked on four in the third when Matthiessen hit a grand slam on an 0-2 count deep over the left-field wall, scoring Porter, who had doubled; Gibson and Tawa in front of him.

Canby touched Pesicka for two in the bottom of the third but West Linn came right back with a three-spot in the top of the fourth. Porter’s third hit of the game led off the frame. Perkins sacrificed him to second and he scored on Gibson’s RBI single. One out later, Tawa hit a two-run homer over the left field fence to make it 13-4 Lions. West Linn added one more in the top of the fifth on a two-out single from Trevor Wells and Porter’s fourth hit of the game, a booming double to the base of the fence in left-center.

The team finished with 13 hits, paced by four from Porter and two apiece from Matthiessen and Hoffman. Eight players in the starting lineup delivered hits.

Pesicka went five to get the win and was aided by nice defense in center from Chase Cosner. Ryan Johnson pitched a scoreless sixth and Daniel Ferrario finished up by striking out the side in the seventh.

West Linn will host Canby on Friday evening. Game time is 5 p.m.

Wells, Ferrario Toss Shutout at Tualatin

Trevor Wells went six strong innings, Daniel Ferrario pitched a perfect seventh and the offense had its best showing of the year in West Linn’s 16-0 win over Tualatin at home on Monday.

The Lions, stymied through the first two innings, erupted for nine in the bottom of the third, highlighted by a three-run homer and two-run single from Tim Tawa.  Four hit batsmen and big hits from Tate Hoffman, Brayden Pene and Wells added to the onslaught. West Linn (8-4) added two in the fourth and five in the sixth, including an RBI single from Micah Gibson, in support of Wells, who allowed only two hits in improving to 4-1 on the year.

Hoffman’s three hits led the offense. His third-inning double was one of five extra-base hits on the day for the Lions. Wells, Jake Porter and Will Matthiessen had the others. The win was a total team effort, as all starters plus reserve hitters Evan King, Garrison Ritter, Austin Pesicka, Cole Kinman, Ryan Johnson and Haven Fritts contributed heavily to the win.

Lions Get Back On Track With Win at Tualatin

Sometimes you have to win ugly before you start playing to your potential. It wasn’t pretty but West Linn will take it, a 7-1 victory on the road versus Tualatin on Friday afternoon.

Will Matthiessen went six strong innings to get the win and Ryan Johnson had a 1-2-3 seventh for the Lions, who kept Tualatin from threatening in all but the fifth inning thanks to pinpoint pitching and solid defense.

Offensively, West Linn had runners on base all game long thanks more to bases on balls and hit batsmen than base knocks. Plenty were left stranded but seven eventually crossed the plate and that’s enough runs to win most games.

West Linn got one in the first when Tate Hoffman’s double off the fence scored Will Matthiessen, who had walked. The Lions tacked on four more in the fourth on zero hits, scoring twice on passed balls, once on a fielder’s choice ground out and once on a steal of home. Four hits, including Hoffman’s second two-bagger to the wall, were part of a two-run uprising in the top of the seventh that gave West Linn (7-4) some needed breathing room.

Besides Hoffman, Jake Perkins and Brayden Pene helped the offensive cause the most for West Linn, which has another encounter with Tualatin at home on Monday at 5 p.m.

Lions Drop Tough One at LO

West Linn lost its second game in a row on Wednesday, yielding four runs in the bottom of the last inning to lose to Lake Oswego, 4-3.

Until the seventh-inning collapse, your Lions (6-4) appeared to be in control. Senior right hander Austin Pesicka was masterful through six scoreless innings and West Linn got just enough offense from Jake Perkins, Tim Tawa and Will Matthiessen to build what seemed to be a comfortable lead.

But a wild pitch on strike three to the first batter, who reached, put immediate pressure on West Linn’s closer. Two hits, two walks and one wild pitch later and Lake Oswego had the improbable walk off win.

The beauty of baseball this time of year is that the Lions have another game to play on Friday and three more the following week. The loss hurts now but will be a distant memory by this time next week.

Verburg Two-hits West Linn

West Linn suffered its first in-state loss of 2016 on Monday, falling at home to Lake Oswego by a 4-0 score.

Mitchell Verburg, a senior right hander headed to Oregon State, was masterful for the Lakers in the TRL opener. He allowed just two hits – to Jake Porter and Tate Hoffman – while striking out 10 in a route-going performance. The Lions only had three base runners all afternoon and no player advanced beyond second base.

Lake Oswego, which finished with seven hits of its own, struck for a single run in the first off of starter Trevor Wells, then added two in the fourth and one in the seventh for the final margin. Garrison Ritter was a bright spot for West Linn, tossing two scoreless inning of relief, including striking out the side in the fifth.

The same teams get after it again on Wednesday at LO. Game time is 5 p.m.

Solid Pitching, Timely Knocks Push Lions Past North Salem

West Linn cooled a hot North Salem team on the road Friday, riding Tate Hoffman’s hot bat and the strong pitching of Will Matthiessen to record the 6-1 win.

North came into the contest having won three straight games over TRL teams Canby, Lakeridge and Sherwood and it had its ace on the mound against West Linn. The result was a pitching duel for the first six innings. West Linn’s lone run through six came in the third, when Jake Perkins hit a “lost-in-the-sun” two-out double to center, the first of his two hits, and scored when Chase Cosner’s infield single was thrown past first base.

Matthiessen, meanwhile, was masterful, scattering four hits and walking none through six while waiting for the offense to give him support.

That came in the seventh, when Trevor Wells lined a single to center to open the frame. Jake Porter followed with a bunt that turned into a single because of the crazy spin on the ball off the bat. Micah Gibson then lined a two-strike single to right to plate the second run. Cosner singled to left to drive in the third, Brayden Pene walked with the bases loaded to score another. Hoffman, a perfect 3-for-3 with a walk, capped the scoring with a two-run single to center.

Matthiessen came out for the seventh to try to go the distance, but yielded to closer Tim Tawa after giving up a run. Tawa set down the three batters he faced to end it.

West Linn, which improved to 6-2 with the win, opens league play at home Monday versus Lake Oswego. Game time is 5 p.m.

Crimson Tide Denied

Jake Porter went 4-for-4 and Trevor Wells tossed five shutout innings as West Linn celebrated a return to Oregon with a 9-0 decision over Glencoe on Monday at home.

The Lions scored in every inning but the second and bolstered Wells’ two-hit pitching with 14 knocks of their own, including extra-base hits from Porter, Will Matthiessen, (double and triple), Jake Perkins and Tate Hoffman, who had two hits and three RBIs in this 2016 offensive debut.

Porter matched Hoffman’s RBI total. Matthiessen scored two and drove in one and Brayden Pene had two hits and scored two runs.

Austin Pesicka pitched two scoreless frames to close the game for West Linn (5-2), which is scheduled to play at North Salem on Friday.

Bats Silent In Loss At Torrey Pines

West Linn dropped a 4-0 decision at Torrey Pines on Thursday to conclude the San Diego swing at 2-2.

Lion bats produced just one hit, by catcher Micah Gibson in the second, in the team’s poorest showing of the season.

Garrison Ritter, who tossed two innings of scoreless relief, was the only other bright spot for the Lions, who return home to play Glencoe on Monday.

Lions Suffer Defeat at Cathedral Catholic

West Linn led 4-1 early at Cathedral Catholic, coach Joe Monahan’s alma mater, but could not close, as the Dons took advantage of shaky defense to score six runs in innings two and three en route to a 7-5 win. The loss was the Lions’ first after four straight wins to open the 2016 season.

Chase Cosner, Jake Perkins, Will Matthiessen and Trevor Wells were offensive bright spots for West Linn. Cosner had three hits and was on all four times. He scored the first run of the game and drove in the fifth. Perkins tripled, walked twice and scored twice. Matthiessen had two hits and an RBI and Wells had two hits, including a two-out, two-RBI single in the top of the first.

On the bump, Ryan Johnson was a bright spot, throwing three scoreless inning of relief. He held the Dons in check but, alas, West Linn could not push any runs across over the last three innings.

West Linn finishes up its San Diego swing tomorrow at a time and against an opponent TBD.

West Linn Rocks El Capitan Early, Hangs on For 7-6 Win

West Linn built a 7-3 lead through four innings at El Capitan then withstood several Vaquero thrusts to post a 7-6 win that kept the Lions unbeaten on the season.

After yielding a run in the bottom of the first for the second straight day, West Linn (4-0) responded with two in the top of the second. Brayden Pene got things going with a double off the fence. Jake Porter followed with a single and West Linn was in business, eventually jamming the bases full with none out. An El Capitan error and Cole Kinman RBI single put two on the board for West Linn, but two outs on the bases prevented perhaps a bigger inning.

West Linn loaded the bases again in the third and cashed in two more, as starting pitcher Austin Pesicka, who would get the win, delivered a two-out hit that scored Will Matthiessen, who had singled; and Pene, who walked.

Leading 4-1, the Lions yielded a two-run homer in the bottom of the third but responded immediately with a crooked number in the top of the fourth. Chase Cosner led off the inning with a leg single. Matthiessen bombed a deep double to drive home two and scored on an error, putting West Linn up by four.

Lion bats were largely silent thereafter and El Cap chipped away at the lead, scoring twice in the fifth and once in the sixth to get within one. The Vaqueros had the tying run on third in the bottom of the seventh, but Tim Tawa induced a fly ball to Garrison Ritter in right to earn his second save in as many games.

Kinman and Matthiessen led the offensive attack with two hits apiece. Strong defense from Pene, Porter and Jake Perkins helped the Lion pitchers.

Cathedral Catholic is Wednesday’s opponent. Game time is 3:30 p.m.

Lions Edge Aztecs to Open San Diego Swing

Trevor Wells threw five strong innings and got just enough offensive support to help West Linn pull out a 3-1 win over Montgomery in the first game of the Lions’ Spring break trip to America’s Finest City.

Wells gave up a run on a hit batsmen and single in the first but kept the Aztecs (5-2) off the scoreboard thereafter, including working out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the fourth by inducing a force play at the plate and striking out the last batter with a wicked curve ball.

West Linn had only five hits on the afternoon, but string two together in a two-run third to take the lead.  Leadoff batter Chase Cosner drew a one-out walk, advanced to second on a wild pitch and scored on Tim Tawa’s line single to left center. Will Matthiessen followed with a shot down the line to plate Tawa.

West Linn (3-0) got an insurance run in the top of the seventh when Cosner, who had singled after Jake Perkins opened the inning with a walk, eventually scored on an errant throw to first base. Tawa made it hold up by throwing eight pitches to earn the four-out save.

West Linn will take on 3-2 El Capitan tomorrow at 12:30 p.m.

Gophers Dig Too Large A Hole at West Linn

An 11-hit attack and solid pitching from Will Matthiessen and Garrison Ritter helped West Linn (2-0) get past Gresham, 7-1, on a sunny Thursday afternoon at home.

Jake Porter had three hits and three runs batted in and Will Matthiessen scored three times to lead the attack. Brayden Pene drove in two and scored a run and Tim Tawa had two hits, two runs scored and a stolen base.

After a scoreless top of the first, Chase Cosner opened the Lion half of the frame with a base hit and eventually scored on an errant pickoff attempt. West Linn struck for two more in the third on a Pene sac fly and Porter’s fly ball triple, which the Gresham outfielder lost in the sun. The Lions scored once more in the fifth when Pene plated Matthiessen, who had tripled; and tacked on three more in the bottom of the sixth, capped by Porter’s two-RBI base knock.

Matthiessen went three and one-third innings to get the win and was aided by Pene’s nifty defense at second. Ritter worked out of a jam in the top of the fourth but otherwise was spot on in 2+ innings on the bump. Tawa finished up, allowing a run on two hits.

West Linn, the Class 6A state runner up a year ago, heads to San Diego on Saturday and will play four games in the Golden State, starting Monday afternoon.

Lions Open 2016 With One-Hit Shutout

Trevor Wells and Austin Pesicka combined on a one-hitter and Will Matthiessen blasted a two-run homer as West Linn kicked off the 2016 season with a 5-0 whitewashing of McNary at home on Wednesday afternoon.

Wells went three and one-third innings for the win and scored the first run of the game in the second when he singled and came home on a two-out, two-strike RBI base knock from Jake Perkins. Tim Tawa’s two-run triple scored two more in the frame.

That was more than enough for Wells, who struck out five and got nice defensive help from Tawa in center and Jake Porter at first base.

Pesicka, who earned the first save of his career, came on in the fourth with two on and one out and induced a double-play grounder. The senior righty was protecting the combined no-hitter until a McNary batter singled up the gut to open the seventh. By then West Linn’s lead had swelled to 5-0 thanks to a two-run homer to left from Matthiessen in the fifth.

West Linn, which improved to 1-0 with the win, will host Gresham tomorrow afternoon. Game time is 4:30 p.m.