Titans Solidify Play-Off Spot With 3-1 Series Against GHC
**Tacoma Community College Baseball Recap**
**Game 1: TCC vs. Grays Harbor (Win 13-1)**
OLYMPIC STADIUM — Tacoma Community College secured a decisive 13–1 victory over Grays Harbor on Thursday. The visiting team tallied 12 hits and capitalized on four doubles and a triple to drive in 12 runs, while its pitching staff limited Grays Harbor to just three hits and one run.
Tacoma opened the game with a strong first inning. Ethan Mar walked, and Braden Jones singled, setting up Carson Ackermann's RBI double that brought Mar home. Vaughn Lowe followed with a two-RBI double, scoring Ackermann and Jones, aided by an error. The inning ended with Tacoma leading 3–0.
In the fourth inning, Nate Jetton tripled and scored on an error, followed by Kaden Cretti's unearned run on Ty Iddon's RBI single. Grays Harbor managed one run in the bottom half, bringing the score to 5–1 in favor of TCC.
The sixth inning saw TCC extend its lead significantly. Clayton Crooks and Jetton set the stage with hits, and Cretti reached on an error, allowing two runs to score. Jones then hit a two-RBI single, and Mar scored on a passed ball. Lowe's groundout added another RBI, capping a six-run inning for an 11–1 lead.
Tacoma added two more runs in the seventh. After Jetton's single and Cretti's fielder's choice, Mar doubled, driving in both Jetton and Cretti to complete the scoring. TCC secured a decisive 13–1 victory over Grays Harbor.
Butch Kiblen delivered a standout performance for Tacoma, pitching a complete game over 7 innings. Kiblen allowed just three hits and one earned run while striking out eight batters. He issued two walks and threw 96 pitches, with 62 going for strikes. Kiblen earned the win, improving to a 1-0 record for the season.
**Tacoma Top Performers**
Ethan Mar
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- 2 runs
- 2 hits
- 2 RBIs
Vaughn Lowe
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- 3 RBIs
- 1 double
Nate Jetton
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- 3 runs
- 3 hits
- 1 double
- 1 triple
Butch Kiblen
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- 7 innings pitched
- 8 strikeouts
- 1 complete game
- 1 earned run
**Game 2: TCC vs. Grays Harbor (Loss 4-3)**
OLYMPIC STADIUM — Tacoma Community College fell to Grays Harbor College with a final score of 4–3, despite a strong start with three runs in the first inning. TCC recorded seven hits and three stolen bases, while GHC secured the win with a decisive fourth-inning rally and an additional run in the eighth.
Tacoma opened the game with a strong first inning, capitalizing on multiple errors from Grays Harbor. Kaden Cretti reached on catcher's interference and later scored on a passed ball. Ty Iddon singled and advanced to third, scoring on a sacrifice fly by Braden Jones. Ethan Mar added to the offense with a single and later scored on another passed ball. TCC led 3–0 after the first inning.
Grays Harbor tied the game in the fourth inning. Caleb Tilford doubled and later scored on an error, which also allowed Cooper Crutcher to score. Hugo Cubillan, who reached on the error, later scored on a sacrifice fly by Jake Drogos. The score was tied 3–3 at the end of the fourth inning.
In the eighth inning, GHC took the lead on a solo home run by Ian Williams. Tacoma was unable to respond, and the inning ended with Grays Harbor leading 4–3.
TCC could not mount a comeback in the ninth inning, resulting in a 4–3 victory for GHC.
Austin Nelson pitched 4 innings, allowing 3 earned runs on 3 hits while striking out 1 and not issuing any walks. He threw 39 pitches, 29 of which were strikes, demonstrating control despite the runs allowed. Jake Rafferty followed with 4 innings of relief, conceding 1 earned run on 3 hits, including a home run, while striking out 4 and walking 2. Rafferty's performance included 62 pitches with 39 strikes, contributing to the team's pitching efforts.
**Tacoma Top Performers**
Ty Iddon
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- 1 run
- 1 hit
- 1 stolen base
- 1 walk
Ethan Mar
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- 1 run
- 2 hits
- 1 stolen base
- 1 hit by pitch
Jake Rafferty
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- 4 innings pitched
- 4 strikeouts
- 1 earned run allowed
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**Game 3: TCC vs. Grays Harbor (Win 10-1)**
TACOMA, Wash. — Tacoma Community College defeated Grays Harbor College 10-1 on Saturday, scoring six runs in the eighth inning to secure the victory. TCC collected eight hits and seven stolen bases, while its pitchers combined for six strikeouts over nine innings.
Tacoma took control in the second inning, capitalizing on defensive miscues by GHC. Carson Ackermann scored on a shortstop error, and Vaughn Lowe added another run, reaching home on Kaden Cretti's RBI double. TCC led 2-0 after the second inning.
The third inning saw Tacoma extend its lead. After Brayden Buck was hit by a pitch and stole second, Lowe singled, advancing Buck to third. Clayton Crooks then delivered a two-RBI single, driving in both Buck and Lowe, increasing the lead to 4-0 through three innings.
TCC's offense erupted in the eighth inning, scoring six runs. Nate Jetton's two-RBI single, aided by a third baseman's error, opened the scoring. Ty Iddon reached on a catcher's error, driving in another run. Braden Jones followed with a sacrifice fly, and Ethan Mar scored on a passed ball. Ackermann capped the inning with an RBI double. GHC managed one unearned run in the top of the inning. TCC led 10-1 after eight innings.
The final score was Tacoma 10, Grays Harbor 1.
Oscar Hyde delivered a strong performance for TCC, pitching 7 innings without allowing an earned run and striking out 5 batters. He maintained control throughout his outing, issuing just 1 walk and throwing 67 of his 100 pitches for strikes. Connor Speer provided relief with 2 innings of work, allowing 1 hit and striking out 1, effectively closing the game without surrendering a run.
**Tacoma Top Performers**
Brayden Buck
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- 2 runs
- 2 stolen bases
- 1 hit by pitch
Clayton Crooks
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- 2 RBIs
- 1 run
- 1 hit
Oscar Hyde
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- 7 innings pitched
- 5 strikeouts
- 0 earned runs
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**Game 4: TCC vs. Grays Harbor (Win 8-4)**
TACOMA, Wash. — Tacoma Community College secured an 8-4 victory over Grays Harbor College, aided by nine hits and eight stolen bases in the game. TCC's pitching staff recorded nine strikeouts over nine innings, limiting GHC to five hits.
Tacoma secured an 8-4 victory over Grays Harbor, beginning with Ty Iddon's single and stolen base in the first inning. Braden Jones followed with a single, advancing Iddon to third, and Ethan Mar brought him home with a sacrifice fly. The Titans led 1-0 after the first inning.
In the second inning, Kaden Cretti walked and stole second before Iddon doubled to drive him in, extending TCC's lead to 2-0.
Mar scored in the third inning after walking and advancing on Vaughn Lowe's single. Tyson Rather's groundout allowed Mar to cross the plate, making it 3-0.
GHC responded in the fourth inning with two runs, but Tacoma maintained its lead at 3-2.
TCC added another run in the fifth, with Mar scoring on a passed ball, pushing the lead to 4-2.
In the sixth inning, Clayton Crooks scored after pinch-hitting, followed by Iddon scoring on Mar's RBI single, increasing Tacoma's advantage to 6-2.
The seventh inning saw Tacoma capitalizing on errors by Grays Harbor. Vaughn Lowe and Nate Jetton scored unearned runs, bringing the score to 8-2 before GHC added two in the bottom half, closing the gap to 8-4.
No further runs were scored in the final innings, resulting in an 8-4 final score in favor of TCC.
Devin Tep started strong for Tacoma, pitching 5 innings and allowing 3 hits and 2 earned runs while striking out 6 batters. He issued 2 walks and threw 86 pitches, 59 of which were strikes. Reliever Atticus Manning followed with 4 innings of work, giving up 2 runs on 2 hits and 4 walks, and striking out 3. Manning also hit one batter and delivered 70 pitches, with 42 strikes.
**Tacoma Top Performers**
Ty Iddon
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- 2 runs
- 2 stolen bases
- 1 double
Ethan Mar
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- 2 runs
- 2 RBIs
- 2 walks
Kaden Cretti
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- 4 stolen bases
- 1 run
- 2 walks
Devin Tep
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- 5 innings pitched
- 6 strikeouts
- 3 hits allowed
**Go Titans!**