Northwest Christian Claims District 6 Title With Postseason Sweep

Northwest Christian captured the District 6 baseball championship on May 13 at Washington State University, closing out the district tournament with an 18-7 win over Asotin in the title game. The Crusaders, 17-3 on the season, advanced to the championship game earlier in the day with an 11-4 win over Colfax. Northwest Christian’s offense carried the day in both games, collecting 23 hits and scoring 29 runs across the two postseason victories. In the championship game against Asotin, the Crusaders scored in every inning and broke the game open with six runs in the fourth and three more in the fifth. Northwest Christian finished with 12 hits in the win. Caden Hollister led the Crusaders at the plate, going 4-for-4 with three RBIs, two runs scored, and a triple. Preston Mortlock went 2-for-3 with four runs scored, while Zeke Young finished 3-for-4 with two RBIs and a run. Drew Bevan drove in four runs, Jack Duff scored three times and drove in one, and Will McConnell added three runs and two RBIs. Benjo Roth had a hit and an RBI, while Chase Mortlock drove in a run. Northwest Christian also used its speed on the bases, with stolen bases from Hollister, McConnell, Spuler, Mortlock, Bevan, Duff, and Young. Bevan picked up the win on the mound, allowing seven runs on four hits over four innings while striking out seven. Mortlock closed the game with two scoreless innings, allowing one hit and striking out two. Asotin scored twice in the first inning, once in the second, and added four runs in the fifth, but the Crusaders’ offense was too much to overcome. Earlier in the day, Northwest Christian defeated Colfax 11-4 behind another balanced offensive effort. The Crusaders trailed 4-2 before scoring two runs in the third inning, two in the fourth, six in the fifth, and one in the sixth to pull away. Bevan went 1-for-3 with three RBIs, while Mortlock had a hit and an RBI. Preston Mortlock went 3-for-4 with two runs scored, and Hollister finished 2-for-4 with an RBI. Roth added a hit, a run and two RBIs. Hollister earned the win on the mound, allowing four runs, three earned, on seven hits in six innings. He struck out six and walked four. Chase Mortlock pitched a scoreless seventh inning with one strikeout. The district championship capped a strong postseason day for Northwest Christian, which earned the No. 4 seed in the State 2B baseball tournament and will host Pe-Ell/Willapa Valley on Saturday, May 23, at 1 p.m.