Butch Kiblen Leads Tacoma to Dominant 5-0 Victory
TACOMA, Wash. — Tacoma secured a decisive 5-0 victory over Skagit Valley on Sunday. Tacoma's pitching staff combined for a three-hit shutout, striking out five batters over nine innings.
Tacoma secured a 5-0 victory over Skagit Valley with a strong performance throughout the game.
In the second inning, Ethan Mar homered to give Tacoma an early lead. Vaughn Lowe walked and advanced to third on a series of failed pickoff attempts, but was left stranded after Tacoma's next batters were retired. The score was 1-0 at the end of the second inning.
Tacoma extended its lead in the third inning when Ty Iddon doubled and scored on a single by Braden Jones. The inning ended with Tacoma leading 2-0.
The fifth inning saw Tacoma add two more runs. Clayton Crooks and Kaden Cretti both singled, and Iddon followed with another single to load the bases. Jones then delivered an RBI single, scoring Crooks. Mar hit a sacrifice fly, allowing Cretti to score, leaving Tacoma ahead 4-0.
In the seventh inning, Tacoma capitalized on a Skagit Valley error when Cretti reached first and later scored on a throw after a stolen base by Mar, resulting in an unearned run. Tacoma led 5-0 through seven innings.
Tacoma's pitching staff, led by Butch Kiblen and supported by Devin Tep and Atticus Manning, effectively shut down Skagit Valley's offense, allowing only two hits and no runs throughout the game.
Final score: Tacoma 5, Skagit Valley 0.
Butch Kiblen delivered a strong performance for Tacoma, pitching 5 2/3 innings and allowing just one hit with no earned runs. Kiblen struck out two batters and issued two walks, earning a WHIP of 0.58 and securing the win. Devin Tep provided solid relief, pitching 2 1/3 innings with two strikeouts and allowing one hit, maintaining a WHIP of 1.43. Manning closed the game with a scoreless inning, surrendering one hit and striking out one, contributing to Tacoma's effective pitching effort.
Tacoma Top Performers
Ethan Mar
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- 1 home run
- 2 RBIs
- 1 stolen base
Braden Jones
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- 2 hits
- 2 RBIs
Butch Kiblen
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- 5 2/3 innings pitched
- 0 earned runs
- 2 strikeouts
Go Titans!
