PORT ANGELES — Wilder Junior split a four-game weekend series against Toyota Baseball of Bellevue’s Junior squad over the weekend at Civic Field.
“We did some uncharasteric things,” Wilder Junior manager Rob Merritt said.
“I like the way we are hitting, we just have to clean up our defense and get our pitchers some more experience.”
Wilder Junior (6-2) beat up on Toyota 12-4 and 13-5 in a Saturday doubleheader.
Brody Merritt was 2 for 4 with a double, two runs and two RBIs and also pitched the final three innings in the first game, allowing just two hits and a walk while striking out four.
Lucas Jarnagin was 2 for 4 with a double and an RBI, while Tanner Lunt went 2 for 3 with a run and three RBIs.
Timmy Adams started the opener, going four innings and allowing four runs, three earned, on three hits and three walks while striking out three.
Ethan Flodstrom had two hits, scored three times and drove in a pair of runs in the second game.
Merritt also had two hits, scored twice and drove in three runs.
Lunt went 3 for 3 and drove in a pair of runs.
Slater Bradley picked up the win after throwing five innings and giving up five runs, four earned, on three hits and three walks while striking out five.
Merritt closed out the win, allowing two hits and a walk while strking out three, in two innings pitched.
Wilder Junior is dealing with some injuries to some members of its pitching staff, leading to some lineup juggling later in their weekend tournaments.
“What we are dealing with is we have three or four guys who have pitched throughout their careers and we are putting some guys on the hill who don’t have that type of experience and are learning how to throw,” Merritt said.
“We have everybody on pitch counts, I think our highest count is 75. “But even then, our arms are hanging a little by the end of the weekend. Some guys are not used to pitching and playing in the field quite yet.”
Those issues popped up in 15-13 and 15-9 losses to Toyota on Sunday.
Adams was 2 for 4 with a pair of runs scored and driven in in the first game. Bradley had two hits, a run and two RBIs.
“We walked 17 times in that game and we had the bases-loaded a handful of times including the last ininng but we couldn’t scratch anything together,” Merritt said.
Jarnagin, Seth Manns and Tanner Walker all pitched in that game for Wilder.
Wilder opened up an 8-0 advantage going into the third inning of the final game with Toyota.
“We were up 8-0 before the wheels came off,” Merritt said.
Devin Batchelor went 2 for 3 with a double, two runs and two RBIs. Adams was 2 for 3 with a run and three RBIs, Jarnagin had two hits, a run and a pair of RBIs and Lunt had two hits, a run and an RBI.
Lunt, Tanner Walker, Tyler Bowen and Nathan Miller all pitched for Wilder Junior.
Wilder Junior heads south for a doubleheader against a Longview American Legion team on Saturday before playing two more against Rochester on Sunday.
