Adna gets revenge over Ilwaco in district title rematch
Box Score
At Adna HS
PIRATES 12, FISHERMEN 2 (5 inn.)
Ilwaco 011 00 - 2
Adna 400 35 - 12
ILW Pitching - Hazen 3.2 IP, 5 H, 7 ER, 1 BB, 4 K; Fisher 0.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB; West 0.2 IP, 4 H, 5 ER, 1 BB. Highlights - Pelas 1-3, HR, RBI, R; Cunningham 1-2, 2B, R; Kaino 1-3, 2B.
ADNA Pitching - Nakano 5 IP, 4 H, 2 R (1 ER), 1 BB, 8 K. Highlights - Percival 3-4, 2B, 3 RBI, 2 R; Ramirez 2-3, 4 RBI, BB, R; Nakano 1-3, 2B, RBI, BB, 2 R; Bright 1-2, 2B, RBI, 2 R.
ADNA - A little over 48 weeks after losing a late lead and falling to Ilwaco in the 2B District 4 Championship Game, Adna got its long-awaited rematch against the Fishermen at home on Monday.
The initial sting of the postseason loss has since faded, but the lesson that the Pirates learned the hard way that Saturday in Chehalis was at the forefront of their minds prior to first pitch.
"This game needs to be seven innings strong," Adna coach Jake Overbay said, alluding to the fact that the Pirates led by three entering the seventh before Ilwaco came back last spring.
"They're not gonna give up until you force them to give up," Overbay added. "We need to be mentally strong for seven innings."
Fortunately for the Pirates, it didn't take that long.
Adna took the lead early, withstood a brief Ilwaco surge, then pulled away for a walk-off run-rule 12-2 victory in five.
"Good for our boys to finish the job today," Overbay said.
Cameron Nakano worked around a two-out error to post a zero in the top of the first, and it didn't take long for the Pirates to get him some run support.
A hit by pitch and single put two runners on, and Naillon Ramirez brought both runners home after a wild pitch to put Adna up 2-0. Later in the inning, Beau Miller hit an RBI single of his own, and Jackson Bright dropped a sacrifice bunt to bring home a fourth run.
"Little things like that, where they're willing to sacrifice themselves for the greater good of the team, that's what I'm looking for as a coach," Overbay said. "One through nine, we're really starting to get guys to dial in and be team oriented, and that's what's awesome."
Like last May, the Fishermen didn't go quietly.
They got their first run on an Adna error in the second, and in the third, Dylan Pelas drilled a solo home run to left to make it 4-2.
Nakano quickly settled back in, though, as he allowed just two hits from that point on. He allowed just four hits and two runs (one earned) while walking one and striking out eight across five innings.
"The entire game, I was thinking about what they did to us last year," Nakano said. "I had to come up on the bump and I had to get to work. They're a good hitting team, and I couldn't blow it by them. I let my fielders do the work ... They picked me up."
The Pirates were held scoreless in the second and third, but Nakano helped himself with an RBI double to spark a three-run fifth. Aiden Percival added an RBI single, and Barron Luond drew a bases-loaded walk.
That momentum carried into the fifth, where Talan Guerrero hit an RBI single of his own, Percival added a two-run double, and Ramirez ended the game with a walk-off two-run single down the right field line.
"We've been talking about this," Overbay said. "We're getting almost to that 10-run range, and I say 'you guys gotta learn to shut the door and seal the deal, not almost get it done.' When you start to do that, you can really show great teams that you're here to stay, and you're here to compete."
Percival finished with three hits and drove in three runs, while Ramirez finished with two hits and four RBIs. Bright added two hits and an RBI, and Miller, Guerrero, and Nakano added a hit and an RBI. Luond didn't record an official at-bat, drawing two walks and also getting hit by a pitch, but he still collected an RBI of his own.
"We weren't focused on big-time hits, we were focused on singles," Nakano said. "Singles win games. That's what we've been doing all year, and I hope that we can stay like that."
Adna (13-1, 10-1 C2BL) will host Rainier on Tuesday before starting a crucial four-game stretch with two games each against Napavine and Toledo, the next two teams in the C2BL standings.
While Monday's non-league win means nothing in regard to the C2BL standings, both Nakano and Overbay agreed that the victory will still serve them well moving forward.
"This game gave us more confidence and fire that we needed to ride it out the rest of the season," Nakano said.
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