River Dogs dominant in tournament action
Jorge Reyes watches his pitch cross home Saturday against the Kent Bulldogs. The River Dogs won the game 8-4 and finished the weekend 5-2 overall. Their next tournament begins Wednesday in Spokane.<br>Pam Robel/Columbia Basin Herald
Columbia Basin looks fierce, going 5-2 in weekend games
MOSES LAKE — The Columbia Basin River Dogs played their fifth game in two days Saturday afternoon at the Lauzier Complex, but still looked strong in defeating the Kent Bulldogs, 8-4.
After a three-run first, Sonny Garza started another three-run spurt in the second. His single drove in Jeremy Martinez, who motored from second to cross the plate for the River Dogs.
Brad Tracy was hit by a pitch to put two men on the base for Severo Rodriguez.
Halfway through Rodriguez's stint at the plate, Tracy took off for second and was tagged out. After the tag, Rodriguez chipped a single to bring in Curran Redal.
The final run of the inning came off a drive single from Edward Rodriguez. It was enough to bring Garza home.
The River Dogs ended the inning up 6-1 on the Kent Bulldogs.
In the bottom of the first, Martinez got things started for the River Dogs — singling and then stealing second, third and home in a span of three batters.
Later, Ross Brown came to the plate with the bases loaded and drilled a two-run double to bring in Redal and Garza.
After the early barrage, there would be only two more runs scored for the River Dogs. Both would come in the bottom of the fourth.
The first was thanks to gutsy baserunning by Garza, who singled to begin the batting rotation for the River Dogs. Garza rounded third on a fly out to right by Tracy and skid across home during Severo Rodriguez's at bat.
The second and final score for the River Dogs would not be a spectacular drive or slide but a leisurely stroll for Edward Rodriguez. With three men on, Nick Ashley was walked by the Bulldogs' pitcher to force Rodriguez home for the score.
Some of Saturday's highlights included a triple to the fence by Tracy and doubles from Michael Rattigan and Brown.
"Brad Tracy has been hitting really well for us," said coach Randy Boruff.
Reyes pitched well despite having come off some professional try-outs Tuesday and Thursday and was clocked at 86 mph during the sixth inning.
"I see some tremendous potential in this team," Boruff said after Saturday's win. "But we're not hitting with authority. We'll have to play much better baseball later in the year, pick it up a notch."
As of Saturday, the River Dogs were 20-6 for the season. Boruff is hoping to improve that record as the season continues.
Other players who had good showings during the course of the tournament included Derek Shoemaker and Brandon Price on the mound and Chad Hunter.
"We had two or three solid pitching performances this weekend," Boruff said.
The final bright spot of the weekend for the River Dogs was the near absence of errors. In seven games, the River Dogs committed just three errors.
Other final scores from the weekend: A 9-0 win over the Bulldogs, an 11-0 win over the Strike Zone Reds, a 6-5 win over the Pepsi Blue, a win over the Lightning, a 10-5 loss to the Pepsi Blue and a 4-2 loss to the Fairweather Longhorns.
The River Dogs' next tournament begins Wednesday in Spokane where they will match-up against 15 other teams.
"We'll see what we're made of there," Boruff said.