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Red Sox LF Tyler O'Neill sets Opening Day homer record
(Photo credit: Stephen Brashear-USA TODAY Sports) Boston Red Sox outfielder Tyler O'Neill became the first player in major league history to homer on five straight Opening Days in Thursday's game at the Seattle Mariners. In his Red Sox debut, O'Neill went deep on the first pitch of the eighth inning, breaking the mark he had shared with Todd Hundley (1994-97) and Hall of Famers Gary Carter (1977-80) and Yogi Berra (1955-

The Chronicle - Centralia

Prep baseball: Coleman, early offense fuels W.F. West past Black Hills

Connor Coleman’s velocity on his fastball tinkered in the low 80s. His slider whipped around the backside of the plate in the high 70s.

W.F. West High School’s lefty had firm control of a Class 2A Evergreen Conference baseball tilt against Black Hills.

At one point tossing a no-hitter and striking out nine, Coleman got early run support and that was enough to help the Bearcats throttle the Wolves 11-1 in five innings on Thursday night on the campus of Centralia College.

“It was nice to see,” W.F. West head coach Jesse Elam said. “He’s been pounding the zone lately. He is up a little bit from last year, but that’s where he sits. He can reach back and get more if he needs it.”

Twelve days after losing their first game of the year, the Bearcats (8-1, 4-0 EvCo) have responded with four consecutive wins – all conference matchups – and have given up a combined three runs.

Plus, their offense has clicked recently, scoring double digit runs three straight games.

“They put in all the time and the work and the effort and they are right there,” Elam said.

Coleman gave up a one-out walk in the bottom of the first, then proceeded to retire the next nine batters in a row. Black Hills notched its first hit by Parker Termini in the fourth, but he stayed at first base.

The only trouble the southpaw got in came in the fifth.

Rain was pelting down and Coleman’s control went awry. He walked the bases loaded then gave up an RBI single off the bat of Truman Wimsett. Cole Ozretich came in and induced a 6-4-3 double play to end the game and preserve the run-rule win.

“We see too many pitches,” Wolves assistant head coach Mark Mounts said. “We’re swinging at everything early and then later on we’re patient, but the good thing is we’re up there with a purpose.”

W.F. West was aggressive early, plating four runs on three hits in the first. Braden Jones, Weston Potter, Coleman and Miles Martin had RBIs in the inning. Coleman delivered the blow in the second, roping a deep triple that brought in two of the four runs.

All of the tallies in the second came with two outs.

“Put as much pressure on the defense as we can to create that havoc,” Elam said. “Two out runs are huge.”

The Bearcats scored three more in the fourth to put the game out of reach. Jones and Martin each went 3-for-3 at the plate as none of their 26 at-bats taken featured a strikeout.

Black Hills (2-3, 0-2) had three errors and used three pitchers in the contest, only one going for two-plus innings on the mound. Mounts feels its group isn’t playing situational baseball well enough early in the season, but added it is fixable.

If the Wolves take the right approach.

“You can’t say it is youth, older guys or younger guys making mistakes,” Mounts said. “With these boys, from (Wednesday) to today, I feel like they try to make (situational baseball) matter. You got to commit and say ‘This matters to me and I’m going to make it happen.’”

Tigers' 'M.O.' comes to life against Ducks

Ignited by an eight-run bottom of the sixth inning, Napavine turned a two-run cushion with an inning to go into a 14-4 run-rule C2BL softball triumph over Toutle Lake on Thursday night at home.

“We just finally got to their kid,” Tigers head coach Josh Fay said. “Right now, the Napavine M.O. is swing the bats late and I’d like to make it swing the bats early.”

The wins keep stacking for Napavine (5-1, 1-0 C2BL), victors of five straight and the offense continues to soar, averaging a staggering 15 runs per game over the streak. The turning point game off the bat of Grace Pancake.

After back-to-back singles from Clara Fay and Hayden Kaut, Pancake roped a fly ball to center field that dropped and allowed all three to score on an inside-the-park three-run homer to give the Tigers a 5-3 lead.

“That kind of flipped the momentum for us,” Fay stated. “That probably gave us some life and helped Hannah (Fay) out, being comfortable pitching.”

Kaut and Clara Fay ripped back-to-back RBI triples to kick off the eight-run frame. Kirkpatrick drove in two on a single and Hannah Fay ended the game with a two-run double. Maya Kunkel and Grace Gall also had RBIs in the inning.

Hannah Fay danced around four earned runs and five walks to earn the win in the circle for the Tigers. The right-hander recorded eight strikeouts in six innings of work. Pancake drove in four total runs and seven hitters notched at least two hits.

Tenino baseball coasts in doubleheader sweep of Eatonville

A nine-run inning in both games of a Class 1A Evergreen League doubleheader allowed the Beavers to remain unbeaten and stomp the Crusaders 18-3 and 13-0 on Thursday night on the road.

The two five-inning victories moved Tenino to 6-0 on the year. It blasted the opener with nine runs in the top of the third to turn a 3-0 cushion into 12-0. Then in the nightcap, it scored nine in the fourth to put the finishing touches on a pair of blowouts.

Two runs in the fourth and a four-spot in the fifth allowed the Beavers to set their new single-game high in runs in Game 1. They drew a combined 29 walks in the two contests.

Oregon recruit Kellan Knox roped a home run in the opener while Will Feltus, Cody Strawn and Jack Burkhardt all drove in two runs in the nightcap. Preston Snider tossed a complete game in the second matchup, striking out eight Eatonville hitters.

United soccer shut out by King's Way Christian

Three goals in each half allowed the Knights to stump Toledo-Winlock United 6-0 in a Trico League match on Thursday night.

Two of the goals for King’s Way Christian came via penalty kicks. United (1-3, 0-2 Trico) have lost three straight since a season-opening win over Tenino. The six goals allowed is the most it has given up.

Still, head coach Elicia Sanchez didn’t dwell on the negatives.

“I’m really proud of the team,” Sanchez said. “They work really hard and overall did (well) against a really good team.”

United will resume action after spring break with a road league matchup against La Center.

Winlock's Sancho sets two meet records in Stanwood

Winlock's Victoria Sancho stole the show at the Stanwood Freshman/Sophomore Invite on Saturday, March 23, as she won three events and set two meet records.

Competing against athletes other sophomores from bigger schools, Sancho ran the 100-meter dash in 13.43 seconds, the 400-meter race in 1:09.37, and she posted a mark of 14 feet, 9.5 inches in the long jump.

The 100-meter dash time and long jump mark set new meet records, and as a result, she was named one of the WIAA's Athletes of the Week.

Landen Cline also set a meet record in the triple jump, posting a mark of 37 feet, 6.25 inches.

The Cardinals were back in action on Thursday, when they hosted Mossyrock and Oakville.

NYT Politics

Woman Who Received 5-Year Sentence in Voter Fraud Case Is Acquitted
Author: Orlando Mayorquín
A Texas appeals court reversed its earlier opinion that had upheld the conviction of Crystal Mason, who was found guilty of illegally casting a provisional ballot in 2016, even though she claimed she hadn’t known she was ineligible to vote.

Columbian Newspaper

Gov. Inslee signs slate of climate and environment bills into law
Author: Conrad Swanson, The Seattle Times

During the last bill-signing tour of his career at the helm of Washington, outgoing Gov. Jay Inslee signed a wide slate of climate and environmental bills into law Thursday afternoon.

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Bus plunges off a bridge in South Africa, killing 45 people – an 8-year-old is only survivor
Author: Associated Press

CAPE TOWN, South Africa — A bus carrying worshippers headed to an Easter festival plunged off a bridge on a mountain pass and burst into flames in South Africa on Thursday, killing at least 45 people, authorities said.

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Seattle Times Opinion

Gov. Inslee should have vetoed natural gas bill
Author: John Braun

The worst bill by far to pass this year paves the way to a ban on natural gas in our state.

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