Odessa baseball set for semifinal showdown

YAKIMA — When it comes to postseason baseball, history says good pitching beats good hitting.

But if you ask Odessa Tigers coach Bruce Todd about it, he'll favor his group of hitters over any pitcher they'll face in the 1B state tournament.

Odessa was the champion of the 1B/2B Bi-County League with a 10-2 record. The Tigers improved their overall mark to 19-4 after beating Oakville 8-4 last Saturday in a first-round state game at Naches Valley High School in Yakima.

The Tigers are headed back to Yakima this Friday, this time going to Parker Field for a 10 a.m. state semifinal matchup with Pateros. They'll have to contend with Billygoat pitcher Brandon Ledoux, who's capable of racking up a lot of strikeouts.

"They have some good athletes," Todd said of Pateros. "They might be a little stronger pitching, but I think we're stronger than them in the field and at the plate.

"I think we're as good of a hitting team as there is around," he added.

Saturday's contest with Oakville was a tug-of-war for the first four innings. Odessa took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning, but saw Oakville's No. 9 hitter blast a two-run homer off starting pitcher Trevor Smith. Greg Costlow relieved Smith in the third, and after the Acorns scored twice for a 4-2 advantage, Costlow closed the door.

The Tigers scored twice in the fourth to tie the game, then went ahead for good in the fifth. No. 9 hitter Ryan King led off with a single, advanced to third on Bryce Todd's single and scored on Smith's suicide squeeze. An Oakville throwing error scored Todd, and cleanup hitter Travis Todd delivered an RBI single to make it 7-4.

Odessa's Anthony Smith gave the Tigers their final run in the sixth with an RBI groundout. Smith had two doubles and four RBI for the afternoon. Bryce Todd singled and tripled, while Travis Todd added two singles.

Todd said his team knows a bit about Pateros after having played them in football. Ledoux appears beatable, the coach believed, as long as the Tigers stay fundamentally sound.

"We need to take care of the routine things," he said.

Friday's winner plays in the 1B championship game Saturday at 4 p.m. against either Liberty Christian or Northport. The loser goes into the 10 a.m. consolation game. Both contests take place at Parker Field.