Basin teams set for Babe Ruth regional events

by Neil Pierson<br>Herald Sports Reporter
| July 25, 2007 9:00 PM

MOSES LAKE — Three local squads open up state tournament action this week as the Columbia Basin becomes the hotbed of Base Ruth Baseball.

The Columbia Basin Junior RiverDogs and Desert Dogs will host the 16-year-old Pacific Northwest Regional Tournament at Larson Field starting today. The Desert Dogs open against the Calgary Reds at 10 a.m., with the Junior RiverDogs taking on Calgary in their opener at 7 p.m.

The five-team tournament continues pool play on Thursday and Friday, with the top two squads advancing to a best-of-three championship series on Saturday.

The Desert Dogs' other pool games are against Puyallup, Wash., on Wednesday at 4 p.m.; and against North Kitsap, Wash., on Friday at noon. The Junior RiverDogs will face North Kitsap Thursday at noon and Puyallup Friday at 6 p.m. The RiverDogs and Desert Dogs face each other Thursday at 6 p.m.

The championship series commences Saturday at noon, with game two starting at 3 p.m. A third and decisive game, if necessary, takes place at 6 p.m.

The winner advances to the 12-team Babe Ruth World Series, Aug. 10-18 in Bentonville, Ark.

In the 16-18 regional tournament at Ephrata High School's Johnson-O'Brien Stadium, the Senior RiverDogs open American Division pool play Thursday at 7:30 p.m. against Ryder Showtime, southern Washington champions from the Vancouver area.

Columbia Basin continues pool play on Friday, taking on North Kitsap at 7:30 p.m. The RiverDogs face Umatilla, Ore., at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday and finish pool play on Sunday against Missoula, Mont., at 7:30 p.m.

The 16-18 tournament features 10 teams from Washington, Idaho, Oregon, Montana and Canada. The top two teams from each of the five-team brackets advances to the single-elimination championship round on Monday, with the title game commencing at 8 p.m. Monday.

The tourney's National Division features Crater Lake, Ore.; Moscow, Idaho; Kent, Wash., Bulldogs; Seattle Baseball Academy Buzz; and Calgary, Alberta, Blues.

The champion moves on to the Babe Ruth World Series, a 10-team event that takes place in Newark, Ohio, from Aug. 9-17.