Reyes smooth, Rodriguez avoids a scare

Warden comes from behind to beat Cle Elum in game one, then sails behind Jorge Reyes in game two

MOSES LAKE — Bryce Hill did something no one else has done all year — hit a home run off Jorge Reyes.

But that was all Cle Elum could do against Warden's No. 1 ace, who struck out 14 batters, allowed two hits, one earned run and walked one batter in a 7-2 win over the Warriors in game two of a doubleheader. Game one was more difficult for the Cougars, who had to come-from-behind to top Cle Elum 4-3.

"That was a scrappy team and well coached," Warden head coach Jerry Powell said about Cle Elum.

The Warriors built a 3-1 lead against the Cougars that stood through 4 1/2 innings on the back of Brody Culbertson, who went 5 1/3 innings, allowing four runs before picking up the loss.

Edward Rodriguez struggled early in the third inning when Cle Elum got its first lead off two fielding errors, one by Rodriguez and the other by Travis Matzen.

Culbertson allowed only one hit and struck out three from the third to the fifth innings when Cle Elum had its only lead, but Stephen Elizalde and Reyes hit back-to-back RBI singles to tie the game and Matzen later drove in Reyes for the lead and eventual win.

Rodriguez settled down after the third inning, facing three batters above the minimum, allowing two hits and striking out two batters.

"We talked to him about emotion of a pitcher and having a short-term memory," Powell said about a third-inning meeting on the mound with Rodriguez.

Reyes gave little for the Warriors to hit in the second game with 89 mph fastballs and fooling with a deadly changeup.

Cle Elum struck out 14 times in the second game with 10 different batters striking out in the game. Reyes started by striking out the first two batters faced, then hit Bryce Hill on a 1-2 count. Hill was later thrown out trying to steal third base.

Warden followed up with a run in the first after Elizalde walked, advanced to second on a Reyes grounder, stole third and scored on a wild pitch. The Cougars added two more in the third off a two-run single by Benny Vela down the left field line.

In the fourth, Hill put Cle Elum on the board with a solo home run to left field, the first earned run and home run Reyes has allowed all year.

"Right when I threw it, I knew I should have thrown the changeup," Reyes said after Hill connected on the fastball.

Elizalde gave Warden two more runs in the bottom of the same inning off a single to right field and Kenny Guerra drove in the final two runs for the Cougars on a single to left field.

Culbertson got the only other hit off Reyes in the sixth with a double, then Reyes got his vengeance with Hill by striking him out to end the inning.

Cle Elum's Brad Lanphere reached base on an error in the top of the seventh and later scored on wild pitches from Reyes.

Reyes pitched only his second seven inning game of the season and Warden won its fourth in a row after falling to Brewster twice and splitting with Okanogan.