Bats start smoking

Published 5:00 pm Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Even though winter is lingering, the bats have started warming up at Wallowa High School softball.

Playing April 4 at Adrian High School, the Lady Cougars trounced the Antelopes in a pair of lopsided decisions. Behind freshman pitcher Kuulei Delatori’s unpredictable fastball, Wallowa won the opener 15-3. Delatori surrendered four hits and one walk while striking out eight batters in her six innings. Wallowa hitters gave her plenty of support, totaling 11 hits – incuding doubles from sophomore Angela Burns and freshman McKenzie Shelton.

In the second game, the Cougars pounded the Antelopes all over the park. In their 16-3 win, senior Brittany Mayton and junior Ayesha Wortman homered. Delatori legged out three bases on one hit. Burns smacked a couple of doubles while Wallowa also used doubles from Mayton and senior Dominique Cherry. Burns also pitched the second game, picking up three strikeouts and limiting Adrian to five hits in six innings.

The next day, Wallowa hitters stayed strong – although they lost to Union High School in a pair of blowouts. First, Union’s star pitcher Jessy Reynolds gave up just one hit in an 11-0 smashing. But the Cougars stormed back in the nightcap, making four hits off Reynolds and forcing the Bobcats to replace her in the second inning. Union went on to win 10-1, but Wallowa totaled six hits in the effort. Wortman had two – including a double – and junior Lexi Briggs singled twice. Mayton and Delatori also made base hits.

With the bats smoking, the Lady Cougars host their local rivals, the Cubs of Enterprise-Joseph, in an April 12 doubleheader at Kirk Jones Memorial Field. The first pitch is set for noon.

Contact reporter Hector del Castillo at 426-4567, or by e-mail at hdelcastillo@wallowa.com.