#18 safe at home

LONG BEACH — A perfect April continued for the Ilwaco baseball team last week, with the Fishermen tallying their seventh straight victory to climb atop the 2B Pacific League standings

Ilwaco (11-1, 7-0) kept their league record spotless after dispatching Chief Leschi (0-10, 0-6) last Tuesday in a doubleheader by a 33-0 margin, pushing the Fishermen ahead of Forks (9-2-1, 6-0) in league play for the first time this season.

Ilwaco will face Forks for the first time this year in a potential league-deciding matchup on April 30.

Caron walk-off caps comeback

After outscoring their last four opponents by a 66-2 margin, Ilwaco found themselves in dicey spot last Saturday in a non-league matchup against visiting Toledo (6-5, 5-3).

The Fishermen raced to a 4-0 lead by the third inning, a score that held until the fifth when the Riverhawks rallied by scoring three runs. Toledo then tied the game at 4 in the top of the seventh, putting the pressure back on the Fishermen in their final at-bat.

Fortunately, the Fishermen had the meat of their lineup coming to the plate for their final at-bat, including senior Boston Caron, who swatted his second home run of the season over the left field fence, giving Ilwaco a 5-4 walk-off victory. Ilwaco senior ace Jacob Rogers delivered another dazzling performance on the mound in the win, striking out nine batters in five innings of work while only allowing one hit. Rogers has been stellar on the mound all season for the Fishermen, earning a 2.69 ERA among six appearances while striking out 29 batters.

Ilwaco is currently ranked ninth in the latest WIAA 2B state rankings among 48 teams.

Up next: Ilwaco will host Pe-Ell/Willapa Valley (11-3) in a key league match-up on senior night on Wednesday, April 24.