Corvallis drops Pirates into loss column

MOSES LAKE - All good things must come to an end. The Moses Lake Pirates' 12-game winning streak was one of things, as the Pirates suffered their first loss of the season with a 3-1 setback Friday to the Corvallis Knights.

Coming off a difficult road trip to Kelowna, British Columbia, Pirates coach Gabe Boruff felt his team wasn't playing to its potential Friday night.

"I thought mentally we were unfocused at times," said Boruff, as Moses Lake committed three errors and managed just one run off nine base hits.

"The team (Corvallis) executed on our mistakes," Boruff noted. "When your defense fails you two to three times in a game, you'll lose."

The Knights, who came into Friday's game with a 5-1 record and possession of first place in the West Coast Collegiate Baseball League's West Division, did something other WCCBL teams had been unable to do thus far in the season: beat Moses Lake in a close game.

Corvallis took a 1-0 lead in the first inning, using a pair of base hits and a stolen base to push a run across the plate.

From there, Moses Lake pitcher and Ephrata native Michael Ratigan settled in, holding Corvallis to just two runs over seven innings.

"His slider was working well," Boruff said of his starting pitcher. "Overall, he did an excellent job and gave us a chance to win."

In the top of the sixth, Corvallis added to its lead with three singles that produced the game's second run, giving the Knights a 2-0 margin.

Moses Lake would answer in the bottom half of the inning. After Mike Capbarat and Jesse Ayala opened the inning with consecutive singles, Steve Tinoco dropped down a perfect sacrifice bunt to move the runners to second and third. Ryan Bernsen, who came across town from Big Bend Community College to join the Pirates for summer ball, then hit a line single down the left field line to get the home team on the scoreboard.

It would be all the offense Moses Lake could muster, though, as the Knights made the plays on defense to shut down the Pirates' offense.

"Corvallis is a very good team," Boruff said. "They execute."

"It's not always about the team that lost," the Moses Lake coach added when asked what was the difference in the game.

Saturday, the Knights did it again, building a 5-1 lead and holding off an eighth-inning rally by the Pirates to defeat Moses Lake 5-4. Ben Guidos took the loss for the Pirates on the mound, going 4 2/3 innings and allowing three runs. Guidos was chased in the fifth inning as the Knights used three base hits and a Moses Lake error to score two runs and take a 3-0 lead.

The Pirates made it interesting in the eighth inning, scoring three runs to cut the lead to 5-4. Kevin Coddington, Ratigan and Ayala each had RBIs in the inning, but the Pirates couldn't follow up with a game-tying base hit.

Tonight, Moses Lake begins a three-game series with Spokane, a matchup that could have early playoff implications. Spokane, which posted the WCCBL's best record in 2006, looks to be one of Moses Lake's biggest challengers for the East Division championship.