By Jeremy McDonald
Jeremymcdonald73@gmail.com
SALEM, Ore.– Sprague-grad and Chemeketa Community College sophomore Taylor Brenneman has been a valuable multifaceted athlete for the Storm the last year-plus
Pitching, hitting, playing the outfield, Brenneman has done it all, and Thursday afternoon was no different.
In Game 1 in Chemeketa’s NWAC South Region doubleheader with Umpqua, Brenneman pitched six innings of the first game, striking out two and only allowed three hits in the Storm’s 6-1 victory over the Riverhawks before taking to Left Field in Game 2 of the doubleheader.
“I just got to come out the first game and throw strikes, eat up innings, and do what I can. Did that, did some post-game recovery, and came out and played the second game,” said Brenneman. “It was a good start to league play, and we didn’t get the results we wanted on the second game, but it gave us something to come into tomorrow and play Mount Hood.”
The second game, a seven inning affair, saw Chemeketa and Umpqua tied at one into the sixth inning before the Riverhawks began to pull away. Umpqua took advantage of the little opportunities that the Storm gave them and scored four runs over the sixth and seventh innings to snap Chemeketa’s five game winning streak.
But for the Storm, 5-3 to start the year and 1-1 in league play is a promising start for the squad.
“We started off pretty hot and definitely not get ahead of ourselves. We know we got to put our heads down and grind, and that’s what we’re doing. We’re using the momentum from each and every game going into the next game,” starts Cody Leming. “That first game (Thursday) we did the little things right. We played a lot of catch, and when we were given the opportunity at the plate, we cashed in runs, and that’s what we did. That’s something we need to keep doing tomorrow.”
The doubleheader with the Saints start at noon on Friday.
Photos By Jeremy McDonald
