Tigers open league season with 7-3 home win over Rainier

Junior Eli DeMello deals to the plate Tuesday in Taft’s 7-3 league win over Rainier (Photos by Lon French)

Taft senior Bleiz Kimbrough collected two hits and mopped up in relief of junior starter and winner Eli DeMello as Taft High opened its inaugural season in Special District 2 with a 7-3 home baseball victory over Rainier.

“We played a solid game all around today,” Taft coach Matt Hilgers said. “We have been working on taking advantage of opportunities and we did a very good job of that.”

Kimbrough, senior Cody Knott, junior Trenton Fisher and sophomore Darius Smith drove home runs, and all four players joined DeMello, senior Tyee Fisher and freshman Kaden Hindman by scoring for the Tigers, who tallied two runs in the first, one in the second and four in the third to build a 7-0 lead.

“We had a good approach at the plate against one of the better pitchers we have seen this year,” Hilgers said. “We played solid defense and threw strikes from the mound. Rainier battled back against us and we did a good job of putting our foot down and holding them off to get the win.”

Kenny Tripp and Hunter Boulch had two hits each for Rainier, which teamed for nine against DeMello, who went 5 2/3s innings with three walks and four strikeouts and survived a three-run fifth.

Taft improved to 5-6 overall in an error-free performance that dropped Rainier to 4-4. The Tigers return to the diamond for a 3 p.m. Friday league doubleheader against Warrenton.

“While this was a good win, we are now looking at our next game,” Hilgers said, “We have to stay focused on the next opponent and come out with this same energy all day Friday.”

Taft 7, Rainier 3

RAINER             AB  R  H BI  TAFT               AB  R  H BI
Joey Tripp          4  1  1  1  Trenton Fisher      3  1  0  1  
Kenney Tripp        4  0  2  0  Eli DeMello         4  1  1  0  
Jorden Kangas       2  0  0  0  Cody Knott          2  1  0  1  
Austin Cantrell     3  0  1  1  Tyee Fisher         2  1  0  0  
Logan Keizur        3  0  1  0  Bleiz Kimbrough     2  1  2  1  
Jayden Robb         2  0  1  0  Darius Smith        2  1  1  1  
Hunter Boulch       3  1  2  0  Kaden Hindman       2  1  1  0  
Tanner Chapman      3  1  1  0  Fco Ramos           3  0  1  0  
Preston Setzer      1  0  0  0  Ethan Thomas        2  0  0  0  
 Tyler Nelson       1  0  0  0                                    
TOTALS             26  3  9  2  TOTALS             22  7  6  4

RAINER                  000 030 0 -- 3  
TAFT                    214 000 x -- 7  

LOB--Rainer 6, Taft 4. E--Kenney Tripp (2), Joey
Tripp, Preston Setzer, Jorden Kangas. 2B--Tanner Chapman,
Eli DeMello. HBP--Preston Setzer, Bleiz Kimbrough.
SACF--Trenton Fisher, Cody Knott. SACB--Tyee Fisher, Ethan
Thomas, Kaden Hindman, Darius Smith. SB--Jorden Kangas, Tyee
Fisher, Cody Knott.

 RAINER                     IP    H    R   ER   BB   SO   HR
Austin Cantrell (L)       6.00    6    7    1    0    6    0
 TAFT                   
Eli DeMello (W)           5.67    9    3    3    3    4    0
Bleiz Kimbrough           1.33    0    0    0    0    0    0

PB--Kaden Hindman. WP--Austin Cantrell (2). SO--Joey Tripp,
Preston Setzer, Jorden Kangas, Hunter Boulch, Tyee Fisher
(2), Ethan Thomas, Fco Ramos, Kaden Hindman, Darius Smith.
BB--Jayden Robb, Jorden Kangas (2).