Pirates baseball sees win, but tough losses

The Pirates demonstrated some excellent defensive plays but struggled to score.

Vashon Pirates Baseball experienced the highs and lows of the sport last week.

The first game — and only league game — ended in a disappointing 7-1 loss to Bellevue Christian. The Pirates were stymied by the pitching of BC’s Jeff Jewett, with a total of three hits by the following players: junior Alex Hitchcock, senior Mitchell Boles and junior Aidan McCann.

McCann scored the only run of the game for the Pirates following his single to center field. The Pirates demonstrated some excellent defensive plays including multiple athletic maneuvers by senior Ari Dulfer, shortstop, and fantastic fielding by right fielder Ryan Rice, but came up short.

Friday, March 29 brought the Pirates to a doubleheader at Chimacum.

Varsity kicked off their game with a lead of 6-0 in the first inning. The tables were turned after a nail-biter of a third inning in which the Pirates allowed in six runs. There were 12 hits during the game, with three each by sophomore Martin Ellison, junior Isaac Patchen and freshman Will Godwin. The Pirates prevailed, earning a 13-9 win.

Immediately afterward, the JV team took to the field. Junior Sam Profit, on the mound, allowed two hits and one run, striking out six and walking one. Riley Hereford came in as the reliever. Vashon exhibited offensive strength over Chimacum with hits by Boles, junior Jack Cunningham, junior Logan Prouse, Ellison and sophomore Finn Scriver, each of whom are credited with one or more RBIs. The Pirates achieved a victory of 9-2 over Chimacum.

The final game of the week was held on the island against opponent University Prep. McCann pitched five innings, with eight strikeouts, allowing one earned run on three hits. Reliever Hitchcock came in for the final two innings. Dulfer got on with a single but had no success scoring. The Pirates fell to the U-Prep team 6-0.

Pirates’ varsity currently has 5 wins and 4 losses and is 2-2 in league play.

No games are scheduled for the week of April 1 to 5, with play resuming the following week, during the Pirates’ spring break. The coaching staff is grateful for the family and fans who provide excellent support for the team, even when games are scheduled at a distance.

— Natalie McCann is the wife of the Pirates’ baseball coach.