NWIBL Opening Weekend a Splash (Literally!)

NWIBL fans 'under their umbrellas-ella-ella...'

Amidst the on-again, off-again rain, NWIBL fans watched some excellent ball games this weekend at Volcanoes Stadium and Walker Field. 12 year old Hanna Wilson from Vancouver, Washington sang the National Anthem and kicked off the Pirates vs. the River Hawks rematch. 11 year old Lili Morrisey from Portland, Oregon (director Duane Wangenheim's granddaughter!) threw out the first pitch.
Pirate Matt McCord  #27 hit the first home run of the season (that is $10 for the JDRF, thanks Matt!) leading the Pirates to win with a 3-2 victory over the Hawks.
Next, 12 year old Allison O'Neill from Oregon City sang the National Anthem for the Portland Flyers vs Bridgetown Thunders.  The game was tied at 2-2 until the Thunders won in the bottom of the 8th with a base hit to left field.
Unfortunately Sckavone Field was rained out on Saturday and the The Rose City Reds vs The Portland Titans game was canceled. Over at Walker Stadium the Vancouver Bandits vs the Vancouver Twins stuck it out until the game was called in the 5th with a score of 1-0. The Highlanders vs The Tigers game was rained out as well. We will post the dates for those games when they get rescheduled.

Player warm up for Sunday Games at Volcanoes Stadium

Sunday the sky was full of dramatic clouds, but they drifted away in time for 11 year old Anna Bishop from Portland, OR to sing the national Anthem and for the Three River Circles vs. the Portland Royals. It was an exciting game: tied until the the bottom of the 5th. The Circles took the lead after a series of great hits to win the game 7-3. Last up was the Indians vs the Dodgers which yielded a shattered bat but fortunately no shattered windshields! After a brief 20 minute pause due to a down pour at the top of the 2nd, the sun came out again (only in Oregon!). Daryl Blunt wrapped up the night with a phenomenal play in center field to end game 6-3 Indians.

A view from inside the press box

Post your photos of these games to our Flickr NWIBLfan Group!
The next games this week are:
Walker Stadium 
Monday May 9th, 6:45pm Bulldogs vs. Twins CXLD
Wednesday May 11th 6:45pm Royals vs. Thunder
Thursday May 12th 6:45pm Pirates vs. Indians
Fort Vancouver
Saturday May 14th 1pm Bandits vs. Dodgers
Saturday May 14th 4pm Dodgers vs. Twins

join NWIBLfan on Facebook page and Twitter for league info, scores, schedules, and announcements.