Roadrunner Baseball Ends Season Short of NWAC Title But Should Look Back On Coach Peterson’s First Season With Pride
After an amazing season with first-year head coach Andy Peterson, the LBCC Men’s Baseball team will leave Longview after suffering a 11-1 loss to the Lower Columbia Red Devils Saturday, May 25. The loss makes the Beaks finish at 31-11 overall with a 20-4 record in conference. They were still able to capture the NWAC south championship, beating out Mt. Hood by just one game for the top spot. Before the loss to the Red Devils, LBCC won against the Edmonds Tritons 5-0 and lost to the Tacoma Titans at the start of the tournament, 10-1. Despite ending the season a bit earlier than he wanted, Coach Peterson had massive success all season, and picked up right where the teams of the past left off. His work with the group continues a line of LB baseball that has thrived for seasons.
“The season success feels good because we put in the time and work from the end of the summer all the way to spring, and there was adversity we had to overcome to finish strong,” said Dequan Dennis-Lee.
During the NWAC championship in Longview, Washington, The Roadrunners started out against a Tacoma team that finished with a record of 41-10 overall with a 20-5 record in their division. LBCC had faced Tacoma much earlier in the season, falling short in that series 3–1. The Titans still seemed to have the Roadrunners number, and exploded on offense. Colton Talton was able to nail a homer during the bottom of the 7th, but it would serve as LBCCs only run in the match-up. They soon went to face Edmonds after this match, who sits at 34-13 overall with a 17-7 record in conference. The Beaks didn’t waste any time making a comeback, and swiftly beat Edmonds 5-0 to stay alive in the tournament. Austen Carpenter had a day on the mound against the Tritons, totalling 12 strikeouts on the afternoon and helping pull the shutout. Four Roadrunners contributed to the final score, with Richie Mascarenas leading the charge with two runs.
While the Roadrunners couldn’t proceed to get the job done against the powerful Red Devils, they showed the heart and grit needed for success all season. Andy Peterson provided a great atmosphere for his players and it was infectious around the dugout and the cages. Mistakes were addressed but swiftly moved aside, feats were celebrated, and the love for the game could be seen all around. If what Coach Peterson did this season is just the tip of the iceberg, we could see plenty more seasons of success.
“Coach Peterson was a great coach because of the knowledge he brought to the table. Petey did a really great job of understanding us as a team,” added Dennis-Lee.
Story by Cam Hanson
