State first stop for River Dogs Team opens state tournament tonight in Ephrata

EPHRATA - After traveling to Newark, Ohio, for the 2007 Babe Ruth World Series, the Columbia Basin River Dogs hope to qualify for the 2008 world series.

That hope begins tonight when the River Dogs square off with South Kitsap at 7:30 p.m. in the first round of the Babe Ruth state tournament at Ephrata High School.

The River Dogs enter tonight's tournament game with an experienced ball club and high expectations, Columbia Basin River Dogs manager Randy Boruff said.

"The coaching staff and players would feel disappointed if we didn't win state at home," he said. "We are playing our best baseball of the year right now. We have won 16 of the last 20 games going into the state tournament."

After winning a total of 33 games this season, Boruff said he believes his River Dogs team is capable of winning another state championship for the Columbia Basin program.

"We are a better team at this stage of the season than we were last year," he said. "We are a deeper team. The question is, is the competition stronger than it was last year?"

The River Dogs team is comprised of 16-, 17-, and 18-year-old baseball players from the Columbia Basin, and in the case of shortstop Devin Thaut, Scottsdale, Ariz. Thaut is formerly of Moses Lake.

The River Dogs have qualified for the Babe Ruth World Series in two of the past three seasons, and Boruff said he doesn't believe a third trip in four years is out of the question.

"We thought we would be very competitive," he said. "We have six or seven kids returning from Ohio and the world series. The expectations were we should be pretty good."

In a tune up for this week's state tournament, the River Dogs finished in fifth place at last weekend's Bears Invitational in Walla Walla.

The River Dogs fell in the first game of the tournament to the Hanford Flames 10-5. Boruff's team rebounded from the opening round loss to win four consecutive tournament games by a combined 46 runs.

The River Dogs finished the tournament with a 4-1 record.

Boruff said his team lost its first game because the River Dogs fell behind early to Hanford and could not recover.

"The only time we have lost is because we dug a hole early," he said. "You can't go out in a tournament when you are short arms and jerk guys around."

Despite leaving Walla Walla with a fifth place finish, Boruff said his team is ready to perform well at the state tournament.

"We have played with the toughest teams in the state," he said. "We can play with anyone."

Boruff held practice for the River Dogs Monday afternoon at Ephrata High School to prepare his team for tonight.

"This year we have only practiced four or five times," Boruff said. "We have played 46 games this season. I love to play six games every weekend. We are a weekend warrior team."

The River Dogs have a deep pitching staff and is solid defensively, Boruff said tournament games could come down to hitting.

"We don't have meltdowns," he said. "I don't worry about defense. I think we are solid pitching wise. We aren't dominant, but solid. The question is, will we get the clutch hit?"

Boruff said his team is strong defensively in the middle of the field with Thaut and second baseman Eric Tinnell.

First baseman Derrick Webb and Tyson Hubbard round out the corners of what Boruff said is a phenomenal River Dog infield.

"This could be the most athletic infield we've had," he said. "Thaut can make any throw. Webb is a good first baseman. We needed a very athletic first baseman, I've seen a lot of games lost at first base in my life."

The River Dogs program began in 1994 when Boruff and assistant coach Jerry Thaut started the program and has since been a staple of baseball in the Columbia Basin.

"This program has had 14 players drafted and one in the majors, Ryan Doumit. And more than 100 kids in college," he said.

Boruff said each member of the River Dogs is capable of playing baseball at the collegiate level.

"I would say every kid here is probably a junior college player," he said.