Pirates' ride defense to championship

Big double plays by Moses Lake give Pirates upper hand

MOSES LAKE — All year long, the Moses Lake Pirates have proved to baseball fans and opponents alike that pitching and defense are the keys to winning baseball. They did it again last night, getting solid contributions from their hurlers and some incredible plays on defense that helped propel Moses Lake to a 3-2 victory over the Corvallis Knights and their first WCCBL championship in franchise history.

As they have during the regular season and throughout the playoffs, the Pirates had to come back from an early hole, as Corvallis took a 1-0 lead in the top of the third inning. According to coach Gabe Boruff though, it's a position that suits his team just fine.

"We're a team that does real well when faced with adversity on the field," said the Moses Lake coach.

That adversity came early in the game for Moses Lake, as Corvallis put multiple runners on base in the first and second innings. Pirates' starting pitcher Michael Ratigan escaped a first inning jam with a strikeout of Corvallis' Jake Roy after giving up a single and a walk with two outs.

In the second inning, with runners at first and third with one out, Ratigan got the Knights' Clayton Shaw to roll over into a 6-4-3 inning-ending double play.

The Pirates would flash some more leather in the third inning. Corvallis used back-to-back singles, a bases-loading intentional walk and another single to take a 1-0 lead. With the sacks full of Knights' base runners and just one out on the board, Moses Lake again turned a double play to get out of the inning with minimal damage.

"Those double plays were huge," exclaimed Boruff of the plays in the second and third innings. "Anytime you make a big defensive play like that, it will change the momentum of the game, and it did."

With the momentum now in their favor, Moses Lake didn't wait long to take advantage.

In the bottom of the third, Moses Lake native Curran Redal led off with a single to right field. Zach Kim then attempted to sacrifice bunt Redal to second base.

Corvallis chose to try to throw Redal out at second on the play, but the hustling Moses Lake center fielder beat out the throw, giving the Pirates runners at first and second with no outs.

A successful double steal put both Redal and Kim in scoring position, and Marcus Tackett jumped all over a first-pitch fastball from Corvallis starter Eric Massingham and drove it to left field to give the Pirates a 2-1 lead.

"I was looking for a fastball all the way," said Tackett. "Gabe (Boruff) had told me to be ready for that fastball first pitch, and that's what I did."

"That was real clutch," said Boruff of Tackett's big hit. "It came at the right time."

In the fourth inning, Moses Lake again cashed in on a Corvallis mistake, as Redal reached base on an error, stole second and then scored on a Zach Kim double down the left field line.

"We took advantage of the errors," said Boruff, who pointed out that the Pirates made no errors on the night while Corvallis had three.

Not only did the Pirates play error-free ball, they at times made spectacular plays. Twice during Monday's game, Moses Lake third baseman Zach Hedges made a barehanded grab of a ground ball and rocketed a throw to first base in time to record the out.

Ratigan, who battled throughout the evening to hold the Knights to a single run over six innings, did just what a coach wants from a starting pitcher.

"I thought he was focused and he kept the ball down," said Boruff. "He gave us every opportunity to win."

"We feel if we can get to the seventh inning ahead, we're gonna win," noted Tackett of the Pirates confidence in their bullpen.

As good as Moses Lake played Monday, Corvallis made it interesting in the ninth inning. The Knights scored a run off closer Daniel Wolford to make it 3-2, and had the tying run on at second base with two outs.

Wolford wasn't fazed, as he came back to strike out Jake Roy on a called strike three to lock up the title for Moses Lake.

"No matter what the situation, I felt like I could get out of it," said Wolford. "I love closing."

"It was kind of a dream come true being out there for that last out," added the Moses Lake closer.

Tackett, who with his win on the mound in game one against Corvallis and two RBIs in game two is as deserving as any player of series MVP honors, also reflected on what winning the title meant to himself and the other Pirates' players.

"As it got down to it, I started caring about these players and these coaches," said Tackett. "We really wanted to win it for the city, because they've been great all year."

"I want to congratulate Brent and Amy (Kirwan)," said Boruff after the game. "I want to thank the community of Moses Lake for coming out and supporting us. I also want to thank the host families."