Vikings continue late surge as playoffs hopes remain
File photo: Big Bend Viking Randy Button continues to be a presence on the mound. This week, Button was quite busy as Big Bend went 3-1 to stay alive in the NWAACC East playoff race.
MOSES LAKE - A late season surge may not get the Big Bend Vikings baseball team as dramatic a lift as desired, but it still illustrates the progress being made with head coach Don Lindgren's program.
On Saturday, the Vikings split with Columbia Basin College at home, just days after sweeping the host College of Spokane in two games.
Big Bend (20-20, 11-13) lost game one to CBC 5-0 before rallying for a 15-5 win in the nightcap. At Spokane, the Vikings won 6-3 and 7-5.
With four games remaining, the Vikings are three games out of the fourth and final playoff spot given to the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges (NWAACC) East Division. They trail Walla Walla (14-8) as all the teams in the NWAACC enter the final weekend of the regular season.
"I am really proud of the way our team has continued to work and battle all year," Lindgren said. "We have lost two starting outfielders and a shortstop. This is a great team that battles through adversity."
In the loss to CBC, the Vikings bats were silenced as they could only knock out five, scattered hits, while Viking pitcher Randy Button did his best to battle.
"Randy threw great for us but after throwing a complete game a week ago and closing for us against Spokane we were not able to go long with him," Lindgren said of his starter who only went five innings while giving up two runs.
In the 15-5 rout of CBC (28-12, 18-6), Big Bend used a four-run seventh innings and a blistering eight-run explosion in the eighth inning to earn the split. The Vikings finished with 14 hits.
Not a bad result they trailed 5-1 after the top of the third inning.
Casey Clare came in to earn the win in relief for the Vikings.
"We brought Casey in the fourth inning and he down them down the rest of the way," Lindgren said. "Casey was great and has been all year. Our hitters battled back in the late innings and we finally hit the way we are capable of hitting."
Bryan Karwacki hit a home run for the Vikings and finished with four total hits for Big Bend, who also had multiple hit game from Ricco Moreno, Tyler Morris and Jake Faulk who all had two hits apiece.
Against Spokane, Big Bend led big early in game one and held on for the win as they secured at least fifth place in the NWAACC East. Jakob Daniels pitched six innings for the win and Bryan and Billy Karwacki both had four hits apiece along with Bryce Todd's three hits.
Reliever Chris Sattler came in and shut down Spokane who had runners on second and third in the bottom of the ninth but were denied a chance to tie or take the lead.
The second game saw Spokane jump out to a 5-1 lead but Big Bend rallied with a four-run sixth inning and then won the game with two runs in the top of the 11th.
Button earned the win as he pitched the extra frames, allowing no hits and striking out three. He also got out of a bases loaded pickle in the bottom of the 10th inning.
Todd has three hits to lead Big Bend.
Big Bend travels to play Yakima Valley CC (26-7, 20-4) tomorrow and wrap up their regular season with two games against Treasure Valley CC ( 31-8, 16-8) on Saturday - sophomore day - starting at noon. The Vikings in essence need to sweep all four games and have Walla Walla drop their last four contests in order for Big Bend to take the last playoff spot available out of the East.
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