Submitted photo
Kanyon Starkey enjoyed a good weekend for Del Norte at the Hidden Valley baseball tournament, as the Warriors closed out their pre-conference schedule with two wins in three tourney games.
The Warriors opened with a 4-2 loss to Estacada, but bounced back to edge Molalla 14-13 in a wild game two, before closing out with a 16-6 win over North Valley.
With the two wins, the Del Norte boys improved to 5-5 as they get set for a conference-opening doubleheader against Arcata in Crescent City on Saturday.
Starkey had the hot bat for the team over the weekend and hit successfully in all three games while also making his presence felt behind the plate.
The senior catcher finished 8-for-12 over the three games, including three hits in each of the final two games.
“Starkey had a great weekend, hitting the ball and catching,” Del Norte head coach Jeff Cook said.
Game one against Estacada was a competitive one and lasted nine innings.
The Warriors scored two runs in the first, but were held scoreless the remainder of the game, with the Oregon school breaking a late tie with two runs in the ninth.
Four errors didn’t help matters for Del Norte.
In addition to Starkey’s two hits, Marco Gonzalez, Damian Escalera, Dane Brown and Ben Shrewsberry each also had a base hit in the loss.
Shrewsberry got the start on the mound, with Jaxon Sharp taking the loss in relief.
“They did their job,” Cook said of the pitchers. “We Just made errors. We didn’t make the plays.”
The Warriors would bounce back well, taking a “crazy” game against Molalla and scoring the winning run on an error.
Landon Williams had a good game at the plate and finished 2-for-3, while Brown and Gonzalez each went 2-for-4.
Shrewsberry and Escalera each was 1-for-4, with the latter getting a clutch base hit in the seventh, while sophomore Jerimiah Griffin came in to pinch hit in the seventh and hit a clutch RBI double.
Williams got the start on the mound, with Escalera, Griffin and Markus Parras each also pitching in relief.
The Warriors overcame a sluggish start in their final tournament game against North Valley, but would pull away after that.
“It started off close,” Cook said. “Again our errors kept them in the game, but we settled down and started making plays.”
In addition to Starkey’s three hits, Shrewsberry and Parras each finished 2-for-3, while Escalera had a double that almost went for a home run and Sharp finished 1-for-2.
Cook has been experimenting with his lineup early in the new season as the Warriors continue to build towards league play.
“We’ve had 10 games now and we’ve probably had eight or nine different lineups,” the Del Norte coach said. “We’re just trying different things and basically we’re getting ready for Arcata.
“And we’re looking forward to the league season.”
Saturday’s doubleheader in Crescent City gets under ay at 11 a.m.
