RiverDogs, Desert Dogs claim both top invite spots
Cameron Alvarado of the Columbia Basin RiverDogs takes a swing during his team’s 6-0 run at the RiverDogs Invitational this weekend.
EPHRATA - Both the Columbia Basin RiverDogs and their Desert Dogs brethren took first place in their respective divisions of the RiverDogs Invitational held this past weekend at Johnson-O'Brien Stadium.
For the RiverDogs (26-16) they went 6-0 in the senior division while the Desert Dogs took the top spot with a 5-1 record over four days.
Yesterday, the RiverDogs wrapped up play with an 8-0 win over the Spokane Crew.
Cody Johns (Naches Valley) pitched a complete game, allowing only five hits, while the offense scored at least one run in each of the last five innings.
Cameron Alvarado (Moses Lake) went 3-for-3 with two doubles and two RBI.
Earlier in the day the squad blanked Bellevue Legion for the second time over the four-day tournament, winning 6-0.
Stockton Taylor (Brewster) threw a seven-hit shutout and was aided by the strong offensive output of Alvarado who went 2-for-2, including a solo home run in the first inning. He finished with two RBI while Josh Snider (Ephrata) went 3-for-3 with three RBI and a double.
On Saturday, the RiverDogs beat the Spokane Junior Crew 8-0 and Bellevue Junior Legion 15-7.
Against the Junior Crew, Luke Valdez (Moses Lake) threw a one-hitter and rode a strong offensive start from the team as they led 7-0 after three innings.
Davis Engel (Skagit Valley CC) went 3-for-3 and Alvarado did the same, adding a home run and three RBI.
In the offensive showdown with the Bellevue Juniors, the RiverDogs scored six times in the bottom of the first inning and led 12-0 after three innings.
Bellevue scored six runs in their half of the fourth inning to make the game interesting.
Mitch Yada (Moses Lake) started and went four innings before spelled by Snider.
Chris Walker (Naches Valley) went 3-for-3 with four RBI, while Ricco Moreno (Big Bend CC), Alvarado, and Snider all went 2-for-2 and had two RBI each.
After opening the tournament Thursday with a win, the RiverDogs won 9-1 on Friday against the Crew.
Seth Darling (Cle Elum) went five innings and allowed only three hits in the win.
CBRD scored five runs in the first and rolled from there.
The Desert Dogs went 2-0 on Sunday, wrapping tournament play with a 9-3 win over the Spokane Junior Crew and a 12-0 win over the Bellevue Junior Legion.
Nate Steffler (Moses Lake) went 2-for-3 with two RBI and Bryce Beavers (Ephrata) had a homer and three RBI.
In the win over the Junior Crew, Dylan Derr (Ephrata) started and Devin Juarez (Moses Lake) earned the win in relief.
Offensively, the Desert Dogs ad 10 hits, led by Cole Gilman (Naches Valley) and his 2-for-3 day and Juarez's 2-for-4, two RBI output.
They won early Saturday against the Spokane Senior Crew, 7-0 as Johns threw a complete game, two-hitter.
Kody Samuels (Moses Lake) went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBI, and Austin Molner also went 2-for-4.
Their only loss of the weekend came in a 10-5 defeat to Bellevue Senior Legion Saturday evening.
Bellevue broke open the game with seven runs over the fifth and sixth innings.
Beavers went 2-for-3 and Samuels went 2-for-4.
The Desert Dogs kicked off the tournament with a 12-11, nine-inning win over Bellevue Junior Legion on Thursday and a 10-2 win over the Spokane Junior Crew the following day.
They beat Bellevue Junior after Samuels doubled home Beavers.
Steffler went 3-for-5, Gilman 2-for-5, Beavers 2-for-4, and Samuels finished 3-for-4.
Gilman pitched four innings in the win over Spokane Juniors and Derr earned the victory in relief after the Desert Dogs scored eight runs in the sixth inning to break open the game.
Steffler, Gilman, and Juarez all went 2-for-3 while Wells batted 2-for-2 to lead the way.