Billygoats bump Omak in baseball road trip opener

OMAK – The Pateros Billygoats varsity baseball team opened its road season with a non-league 9-6 win over the 1A Pioneers at Omak, Tuesday, March 13.
Coach Bob VanLith said his team still has a few kinks to work out on the field and at the plate, but the team is just now getting access to a dry ball diamond that will allow practice somewhere other than in the gym.
 Senior Max Ewing started on the mound for Pateros and threw the first two innings. The Pioneers found a few pitches they liked and tagged Ewing for three runs on one hit and three walks. Ewing also threw three strikeouts before the second pitcher rotation.
The Billygoats scored a run in the first inning and three in the second to take a 4-3 lead that they would never surrender for the remainder of the game.
Jeremy Piechalski was next on the mound for Pateros and threw one inning, giving up a hit and a walk, but no runs while fanning two Pioneer batters. The Billygoats scored a run in the third to go up by two over their hosts.
Logan Robinson pitched the final three innings until the game was called for approaching darkness midway through the seventh. Omak was scoreless in the third and fourth inning but jumped on the Billygoat who gave up a hit and two walks for three runs in the despite five strikeouts.
Following a scoreless fourth, Pateros added two in the fifth, one in the sixth and one in the seventh inning for the win.
At the plate, Robinson hit 2-4 and Jesse Ginter 2-3 for Pateros.
Pateros: 1-3-1-0-2-1-1
Omak:    3-0-0-0-2-1

Lose two to Tigers
Pateros lost its first league contest, a doubleheader at Tonasket, last Saturday, March 17. The undefeated Tigers took the first game, 13-2, before the Billygoats gained their balance and gave Tonasket a run for its money in the second game, losing by three, 9-6.
Pateros was scheduled another tough league rival, Liberty Bell on Tuesday, March 20. The Billygoats will be on the road at Soap Lake on Wednesday, March 21, and then host the Mountain Lions for the second time in a week on Friday, March 23.