Walleyes drop two games to Hanford
Blake Springer looks for his pitch in the second inning. Below, a Flames runner just beats the tag by Drew Lorea as he dives back to third base.
MOSES LAKE - The Moses Lake Walleyes were turned back by the Hanford Flames in twin bill action as they lost both games at Larson Field Sunday.
Moses Lake won its first five games, but have lost four in a row to bring the Walleyes record to 5-4 on the season.
Hanford 11
Moses Lake 7
The Walleyes jumped out to a 1-0 lead after the first inning of play in game one Sunday. The Flames responded with five runs in the top of the error filled second to go up 5-1. Moses Lake got a run back in the bottom of the second to close the gap to 5-2.
Hanford stretched the score to 7-2 with a pair of runs in the top of the third. The Walleyes made a game of it, 7-4, on a two-run double by Blake Springer, then added two more runs in the bottom of the fourth to get within one, 7-6.
Both teams added a run in the sixth, but a three run seventh for the Flames was the undoing for Moses Lake as the visitors took the first game of the doubleheader.
The Walleyes out hit the Flames 12-11, but committed five errors to Hanford's one.
Spencer Street was tagged with the loss for Moses Lake.
Hanford 8
Moses Lake 7
Moses Lake looked to be in control of game two of the twin bill as the Walleyes were up 7-2 at the mid-way point.
But Hanford, which led 2-1 after the first inning, and was held scoreless through the next five, erupted for six runs in the top of the seventh to take an 8-7 lead.
Moses Lake failed to produce a run in the bottom of the inning and lost the game by one.
The Walleyes out hit the Flames 10-9. Each team had two errors in the contest.
Anthony Rios was the losing pitcher of record for Moses Lake.
"It was a rough weekend for us," coach Quintz Whitaker said. "We may get beat occasionally, but it really hurts to give them away. We have to realize we have 28 more league games to play. This is a marathon, not a sprint."
The Walleyes are back on the diamond Monday when they host Pasco/Chiawana in doubleheader action at Larson Field.
The first pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m.