Moses Lake officially eliminated
Moses Lake pitcher, Josh Munoz, reacts after being pulled from the seventh inning in game one Friday after allowing three runs in an eight-run inning by the Pasco Bulldogs to officially knock the Chiefs from the play-offs at Larson Field Friday.<br>Brad Redford/Columbia Basin Herald
Pasco tags eight runs in seven to secure postseason spot
MOSES LAKE — It took four pitchers and eights runs in the top of the seventh inning for Moses Lake's season to come to an end.
Pasco rung up a 10-run lead in the first game of a doubleheader Friday at Larson Field to cinch up the final playoff spot in the Big Nine district tournament. But when it came to pride, the Chiefs kept that it tact.
After dropping the first game 12-2, Moses Lake rallied twice in the second game to pull off a 10-6 win in the nightcap.
With nothing on the line and being senior night, Moses lake head coach Ed McNamara stacked his lineup with the eight seniors on his club and the result was a five-run first inning.
Jeremy Martinez got on base on a one-out walk, moved to third on Zane Bator's single and Brad Tracy cleared the bases on a three-run home run, his first of the year. The Chiefs didn't stop there. Chad Hunter followed with a single and Bryan McCaffery hit a double. Brady Coker finished the scoring spree with a two-run double.
"The hard thing is, we could have done that all year," McNamara said. "The first of the year when we were winning, we were getting base hits with guys in scoring position."
But, as it has been all year for the Chiefs, that five-run lead wasn't safe.
Pasco started to poke away at the deficit, with Marcus Aranda driving in two runs on a single to left field in the third inning. In the fourth, Ryan Bernsen drove in another run and in the fifth, Josh Boles had an RBI triple, then scored on John Bonderman's single to tie the game at 5-5.
The Bulldogs took the lead in the sixth when Jose Ortiz scored on Zane Bator's wild pitch.
In the bottom of the sixth, with one out and a runner on, Brett Fredericksen hit a double to put runners at second and third, then Martinez drove both home on a single to center field. Bator followed with a double to score Martinez, then he scored on a double from Tracy. Curran Redal drove in the final run on a single to left to take a 10-6 win over Pasco.
The Chiefs lost 10 of their last 12 games after starting the season with a six-game winning streak.
"It means nothing playoff-wise, but it means a lot to a persons pride, especially seniors," McNamara said of the second game.