Ambushed: Pirates trounced in playoff opener

AppleSox 11 Pirates 2

WENATCHEE — The first playoff game in the history of the Moses Lake Pirates franchise is one not a lot of fans will want to remember.

The best team throughout the West Coast Collegiate Baseball League regular season, the Pirates didn't look it at all Monday night in Wenatchee. And the AppleSox, two-time defending league champions, showed Moses Lake exactly what postseason play is all about with an 11-2 victory at Paul Thomas Field.

"We didn't look like a playoff team tonight," Moses Lake head coach Gabe Boruff said bluntly. "We did not come prepared."

Moses Lake won four of the six regular-season games with Wenatchee, but showed little resemblance to the squad that won a league-high 29 contests. The game quickly took a turn for the worst in the first inning as Pirate starter Tyler Rogers gave up five runs and left with a strained rotator cuff on his left throwing shoulder.

Rogers apparently had pain in the shoulder during pre-game warm-ups, but didn't mention it to Boruff until he'd been removed.

"Maybe it was a lack of communication that he didn't tell me until he was out," Boruff said. "He's a bulldogs and I don't know how many starting pitchers are going to say something until they get out there and actually feel it during a game.

"I never saw that coming 'cause he's been great all season for us."

After Aaron Russell doubled with one out, Wenatchee got its first run when Hawkins Gebbers singled and Moses Lake third baseman Zach Hedges was ruled to have interfered with Russell on the basepath. The AppleSox also got a two-run double from Vinnie Catricala, an RBI double from Brian Rittereiser and an RBI groundout from Dillon Baird.

The first inning was where the game was lost, in Boruff's mind.

"Our morale went down. Our kids were just like, 'Holy cow, man, what just happened to us?" he said. "If we shut those guys down in the first inning, we're looking at a different ball game."

Wenatchee added to its lead against reliever Cam Gill. In the second, two walks and a bunt single loaded the bases. With the southpaw Gill paying little attention, Russell broke for home and slid in under the tag of catcher Kevin Coddington. The Sox made it 7-0 in the third as Russell beat out an infield hit to score Drew Heid.

Moses Lake's offense wasn't particularly sharp either. That was partially due to Sox starter Elliott Cribby, who had his second straight superb outing against the Pirates. The University of Washington product went eight innings, allowing six hits and a walk while striking out five.

The Pirates' only damage against Cribby came in the fourth. Marcus Tackett led off with a single and scored one out later when Mike Capbarat lofted a double off the left-field wall. Zach Hedges jumped on a Cribby pitch and doubled to the gap in right, narrowing Moses Lake's deficit to 7-2.

But Cribby quickly got out of the jam by fanning Michael Ratigan and Ryan Bernsen. The Pirates left eight men on base and never capitalized again on the few chances they had.

"We were missing fastballs I thought we should have been hitting," Boruff noted. "We were swinging at pitches in the dirt, we were taking called third strikes."

Wenatchee, which had 15 hits off five Pirate pitchers, made it 10-2 in the fifth by scoring three times off Lee Roberts. Curtis Van Wyck had a run-scoring single, Ryan Davis had a sacrifice fly and Catricala — who finished 3 for 5 — drove in his third run of the night with a single.

Moses Lake now faces a must-win situation as the series shifts to Larson Field Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m. Ratigan makes the start on the mound for the Pirates. Ben Guidos would start the decisive game three on Thursday if necessary.

A lot of changes must be in store for the Pirates to rebound quickly, and Boruff believes those changes must come from within.

"I told them tonight, 'You can control two things — your effort and your attitude," he said. "I hope they take that to heart (Wednesday)."