The Naselle baseball team huddles before taking the field against Knappa.

NASELLE — Two storied baseball teams with a long history of postseason success met for an early-season showdown last Wednesday in Naselle, where the Comets prevailed 6-3 in a non-conference victory over the visiting Knappa Loggers.

Naselle (4-0) remains unbeaten, having bested several larger regional schools in Wahkiakum, Clatskanie, Pe-Ell/Willapa Valley and Knappa by a combined 30-11 margin so far this season.

Comets embrace ‘small ball’ to earn big win

Naselle has relied on strong pitching, timely hitting and consistent defense in their first four wins, including their 6-3 victory over Knappa on March 22.

The Comets were able to strand an astounding 12 Logger runners on base, holding Knappa scoreless until the 6th inning.

“I think we like to start with two guys on every inning for some reason,” Naselle head coach Randy Lindstrom joked. “But we’ll clean that up. For whatever reason, we were able to get out of some jams.”

Naselle had eight hits in the win, led by Dean Helvey and Kolten Lindstrom with two apiece. Helvey and Will Anderson each had two crucial RBIs, including clutch bunts in the bottom of the 6th inning that broke open a 3-3 game.

Competing in different divisions in separate states, it had been a couple of years since Knappa and Naselle last played, but Lindstrom knew his team was in for a battle, with the game serving as an important measuring stick for both teams as they head into their respective league play.

“They’re a solid club. They whipped up on Warrenton and lost to the defending state champs by just a few runs. It’s a good win for us,” the head coach said.

The game got off to a fast start, with the Comets racing to a 3-0 lead in the first inning. Back-to-back hits by Jack Strange and Jacob Lindstrom were cashed in with RBIs by Clay Bergeson and Helvey.

The 3-0 score held until the top of the sixth inning, when a combination of a couple of walks, a dropped third strike and passed balls allowed Knappa to tie the game. Naselle retook the lead in the bottom of the inning, relying largely on bunts and base running, or ‘small ball.’ Helvey and William Anderson each laid perfect bunts, leading to three runs and giving Naselle a 6-3 lead heading into the final inning, where they were able to hold on for the win.

Helvey, Naselle’s starting pitcher, pitched four scoreless frames, allowing four hits with two strikeouts.

“Dean did great. He wasn’t the ‘clean Dean’ as we’ve seen him — he has that big breaking ball and left it up a little bit today, so he was a little leery about throwing it so much, but he mixed it up with speed,” Lindstrom said.

Lindstrom was most pleased with his team’s resilience, and finding a new way to win over a quality team.

“We came out of the gates swinging it like crazy and then cooled off a bit. We played good defense and small ball at the end. We haven’t been typically a very good small-ball team, though we’re getting better at it,” he said.

Kolten Lindstrom threw three innings in relief, allowing one hit with five strikeouts. Neither pitcher allowed any earned runs, but had a combined eight walks. Minimizing the ‘free passes,’ from either walks or beaned batters, will be an emphasis moving forward, coach Lindstrom said.

Game notes: The Naselle junior varsity defeated Knappa JV 4-0, improving to 1-1 on the season.

Up next: Naselle (4-0) will next travel to face Oakville on Monday, March 27 before returning home for a game against Mossyrock on Thursday, March 30.