NI Lakers 16U puts down the Dirt Dawgs

The NI Lakers 16U had a bit of a slow start to the opener of its doubleheader against the Medical Lake Dirt Dawgs on Tuesday at War Memorial Field.

However, the Lakers managed to get into the spirit of the upcoming holiday by providing some offensive fireworks during the bottom of the second inning.

The Lakers scored six runs in the second frame and only needed three more innings to down the Dawgs 19-2.

The Lakers defeated the Dawgs 10-4 in the nightcap.

“They did what they needed to do and they played to their ability,” NI Lakers head coach Ken Oler said. “They stayed focused and did everything they needed to do to play well.”

During the first inning, both teams offered up very little wiggle room defensively, with both teams getting out unscaved, allowing zero runs.

The burst in the second inning could mainly be attributed to the excellent baserunning of the Lakers.

The NI Lakers tallied a total of eight stolen bases in the second inning alone.

They finished the game with 17 stolen bags.

“We are very aggressive on the bases,” Oler said. “The things we’re working on are little reads and they’re picking it up quite well.”

The Lakers also took advantage of extra base hits.

Extra bags came in bunches for the Lakers. During the bottom of the fourth, they notched five triples including back-to-back triples that scored three runs.

Mason Little notched an RBI triple to give the NI Lakers a 17-2 lead.

Following a sac fly, Chase Roman hit another three-bagger.

“Regardless of the pitching, these guys are trusting their training and staying on the ball,” Oler said. “The reason we’re getting all these runs is because we’re getting all these hits.”

The most interesting triple came after Dallen Williams’ bunt.

After struggling to get a handle on the ball, the lay down from Williams ended up scoring two more runs to give The Lakers a 10-2 lead.

The 29 runs scored during the doubleheader brings the NI Lakers run total to 122 over the previous seven games.

“We’ve seen a lot of different pitching,” Oler said. “Seeing 14 different pitchers over the last six or seven games has helped these guys a lot.”

The pitchers on the mound were also effective for the Lakers; both Sanromans spent time on the hill during the opener.

Cole Sanroman got the start with Chase Sanroman coming in relief.

Although the two pitchers didn’t combine for a significant amount of strikeouts, they managed to keep the defense involved.

“For the most part, we were hitting our spots,” Oler said. “We have pitch counts, so we’re trying to manage pitch counts so we focus on hitting our spots.”

The style of pitching is also by design, according to Oler.

“We focused on winning that first pitch,” Oler said. “Our defense is really strong. I tell the guys that they don’t have to strike out every guy they face. I’d rather they throw three pitches an inning than 12.”

This win extends the Lakers win streak to six. The Lakers are fresh off of a tournament win in Spokane at the Gonzaga Prep tournament.

The 16U NI Lakers went to Spokane and finished out 5-0. They outscored their opponents 93-6 throughout the tournament.