Ilwaco Fisherman Jackson Wilkin delivers a pitch against Northwest Christian.

LONG BEACH — The Ilwaco Fisherman (3-4) baseball team split a doubleheader with Northwest Christian (4-3) on Tuesday, April 6 in Long Beach.

Ilwaco dominated the Wolverines in first game 19-5 before losing a close 5-4 decision in the second matchup.

In the first game, Ilwaco jumped all over Northwest Christian in the opening frame to race out to a 12-0 lead.

The Fishermen utilized opportunistic and aggressive baserunning, including executing a successful suicide squeeze bunt by Ethan Hopkins and Kyle Morris. At one point Morris got a little over aggressive in his baserunning, leading to one of the most entertaining rundowns in recent memory.

After getting caught in the midst of stealing second base, Morris generated a hectic pickle situation with the Wolverine defense, as he zig-zagged his way between bases while NW Christian players sprinted around attempting to get in position to contain him. After a series of misdirection and reversing runs, Morris was able to slide safely into third base. Morris would eventually score the final run of a wild first inning, which ended with a 12-0 Ilwaco lead.

After the Wolverines’ woeful start, they tacked on a couple runs and changed pitchers, but it didn’t slow the scorching Ilwaco lineup.

Alex Hillard resumed the offensive onslaught by leading off the second inning with a line-drive double down the third baseline. Dylan Simonson singled to bring Hillard home, making the score 13-3. Ilwaco added four runs in the second followed by two in the third and one in the fourth to initiate the 15-run mercy rule, ending the game in the fifth inning with a 19-5 Ilwaco victory.

In the second game Northwest Christian was able to keep a blistering Ilwaco offense in check, leading to a 5-4 Wolverine win.