River Dogs roll into finals, fall in extras
PULLMAN, Wash. — The Columbia Basin River Dogs wrapped up the 2009 Nike Elite Tournament over the weekend with a second place finish following a 5-4 12-inning loss to North Corner Tribe of Everett.
After the loss in Sunday afternoon’s championship, the River Dogs finished the tournament 4-1.
The River Dogs dominated Saturday night’s semifinal contest with the Seattle Reign when Drew Martin and Blaine Myers combined to throw a no-hitter during a 3-0 victory to put the River Dogs into the finals.
Wenatchee Valley Community College’s Martin went four innings in the start before Moses Lake’s Myers pitched the last three innings to record the save and secure the no-hitter.
The River Dogs got off to a fast start in their first tournament game when Moses Lake’s Brock Lybbert went seven innings on the mound for the 7-1 victory.
Pitcher Adam Ranger continued to keep the River Dogs hot in game two, shutting down the Seattle Reign in a 7-4 win.
With his team getting off to a fast start, River Dogs manager Randy Boruff said his team is playing strong defensively.
“We are playing good defense and getting good pitching,” he said. “We are 29-13 overall and I am happy with where we are at.”
While the River Dogs cruised in their first two games of the tournament, they struggled in their third against the Seattle Braves.
The River Dogs found themselves trailing 2-1 with nobody on in the bottom of the seventh and final inning. Columbia Basin capitalized on a walk and hit to put the game-winning run on base in Ephrata’s Tyson Hubbard.
Moses Lake’s Dylan Signorelli stepped up to the plate and ripped a double to score Hubbard from first and the River Dogs rallied for a 3-2 victory.
Not only did Signorelli record the game-winning hit, he earned the victory on the mound while pitching in relief. Signorelli improved to 3-0 overall this season with all three wins coming in relief, Boruff said.
“He is that closer-type of guy for us,” Boruff said.
After rallying past the Braves, Martin and Myers dominated the Reign in game four to put the River Dogs into the Sunday’s championship.
Columbia Basin and North Corner played to a 1-1 tie through the seventh inning, pushing the championship into extras.
The Tribe pulled out the victory in the top of the 12th, scoring four runs to go ahead 5-1. The River Dogs rallied for three in the bottom of the 12th but couldn’t catch North Corner.
Although the River Dogs fell in 12 innings, Boruff said his team had their chances to win.
“In the eighth inning we loaded the bases with nobody out and couldn’t push the run across,” he said. “We are struggling with getting the clutch hit. We are getting hits, just not the clutch ones. As a team we are batting .336 for the season.”
Moses Lake’s Josh Martinez is leading the River Dogs at the plate, batting .437 and Ephrata’s Derrick Webb and Tyson Hubbard are batting .429 and .406, respectively.
The River Dogs are less than a month away from hosting the 2009 16-18 Babe Ruth World Series and Boruff said his team is preparing themselves for the tournament.
“We want to get pitchers in shape and play solid defense,” he said. “We are accomplishing that. We are playing defensive baseball and we are competitive in close games.”
The River Dogs resume their tournament schedule Thursday when they travel to the University of Washington in Seattle to participate in the BADEN Tournament.