CHIMACUM — The Class 1A Chimacum Cowboys opened the baseball season on a high note by easily beating 3A North Kitsap on Monday.
The Cowboys, using four pitchers, pounded out seven runs in the first inning and breezed to a 7-3 nonleague victory over the Vikings.
“We jumped on them early,” veteran Chimacum coach Loren Bishop said.
Bishop did pretty much what he wanted to do in the first game of the year.
“I wanted to use four different pitchers, and give everybody playing time,” he said.
“We have some youth on this team, and I wanted to get everybody in the game.”
The Cowboys knocked out 10 hits and had only one error while the Vikings were held to three hits and committed four errors.
The pitching was solid despite the cool air as senior Elijah Roulst started the game, went two innings, facing the minimum six batters, striking out one and giving up no runs.
Senior Chance Eldridge went the next two innings, facing just eight batters while fanning one and giving up no runs.
Freshman Landon Cray pitched an outstanding fifth inning before running into trouble in the sixth, giving up three runs to North Kitsap.
Cray had three strikeouts.
Senior Ivan Evasick hurled the final inning, striking out two.
“Ivan pitched real well for us,” Bishop said.
Dillon Dukek was perfect at the plate, going 3-for-3 with an RBI while Roulst and Chance Eldridge both went 2-for-4 each.
Evasick was 1-for-3 with two RBIs.
Bishop said the pitching staff is pretty solid.
“I feel pretty confident about our pitchers,” he said. “We have a couple of other kids who can also pitch well.”
The Cowboys have their second game of the year scheduled for Wednesday afternoon at Vashon Island.
