Tigers take top spot in districts
Pam Robel/Columbia Basin Herald<br>Kevin Sieverkropp skids to a stop after a steal of third against Naches Friday while the baseman looks for the ball after losing it on a bobbled tag.
Ratigan records four homers in two games for Ephrata
EPHRATA — In the bottom of the third inning with his team up one run, Michael Ratigan hit the first of three multiple run home runs in Friday's contest against Naches.
The pitcher turned first baseman for the game sent the 2-run shot over the left field fence to give Ephrata a 3-0 lead.
Two innings later, a similar situation presented itself, Ratigan got the barrel on a pitch and sent it sailing to drive in Austin Chamberlain, Aaron Lutz and himself to stretch the lead to seven.
"I just saw the ball real well," said Ratigan. "It's all the work in practice."
Ratigan's final home run came in the bottom of the sixth to give Ephrata a 10-run margin in what would end up an 11-0 shut out for the Tigers.
Lutz oversaw the game from the mound, giving up just three runs in the shut out and striking out six batters.
"Aaron Lutz pitched really well for us today," said Ephrata head coach Dave Johnson.
Ephrata had four other runs in Friday's victory, with the first coming in the bottom of the first.
Chamberlain had a loop single to right field to get on base and was advanced by an infield single from Ratigan.
With Chamberlain on third, Reid Forrest hit an infield single to bring Chamberlain home.
Before Ratigan's 3-run shot in the bottom of the fifth, Danny Grass rounded second on a line double to left and was driven in by a single from Chamberlain.
Later in the inning, with two outs, Kevin Sieverkropp doubled to right.
Derrick Webb was walked and allowed for a steal of third by Sieverkropp on a Naches error.
With runners on first and third, Jim Yeager hit a line single to left to drive Sieverkropp home for an 8-0 lead.
After the bases had been cleared by Ratigan in the bottom of the sixth, Forrest doubled to left to get on base for the Tigers and rounded third on Aaron Bracht's pinch hit for Thomas Bossert. Bracht was tagged out at first on the play.
Forrest took a run for home on a wild pitch by Naches to earn the final run of the game for Ephrata.
"We played errorless ball," Johnson said. "And the three home runs from Ratigan crushed them I think."
The 11-run shut out set up Ephrata's Saturday game against East Valley.
Ephrata fell behind 2-0 early but battled back to a 3-2 lead after scoring two runs in the bottom of the fifth.
In the top of the seventh East Valley hit a solo homer to tie the game and send it to extra innings.
The Tigers finished off East Valley in the bottom of the eighth when Ratigan hit a walk-off home run for his fifth and final homer of the tournament.
Ratigan finished 3-for-4 in the game against East Valley, had 11 RBIs in the tournament and won two games on the mound for the Tigers.
The win gave Ephrata a number one seeding going into the 2A regional tournament where they will face either Meridian or Granite Falls at 1 p.m. Saturday at Yakima Valley Community College in Yakima.