Big Bend baseball ends season on high note

MOSES LAKE - The Vikings closed out the 2013 season on a positive note with back-to-back sweeps in doubleheader action against Columbia Basin at home May 8, and on the road at Blue Mountain Community College in Pendleton May 11.

But finishing 8-20 in the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges (NWAACC) East Conference standings, and 13-27 overall wasn't how coach Pete Doumit envisioned his first year at the helm of the Big Bend Community College baseball program.

"It was a good way to finish and gives us some building blocks for next year, but it's not what we anticipated at the start of the season," Doumit said. "We had high expectations, but fell short in the win-loss column. We had a good group of kids to work with ... they never gave up ... worked hard and were rewarded with four wins to close it out."

BBCC 8, 5

CBC 2, 4

Cody Johns went the distance on the hill in game one of the twin bill, allowing one earned run off six hits while fanning two Hawks in the 8-2 win.

The Vikings took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third inning, then added seven in the fifth on the strength of a Chris Lacelle grand slam to push the score to 8-0.

The lead held up until CBC brought two runs across the plate in the top of the ninth to avoid the shutout.

Game two was a back and forth battle that saw the lead change hands four times before the outcome was determined. BBCC went up top 1-0 in the bottom of the fourth inning, only to see the Hawks respond with two runs in the top of the fifth to take a 2-1 lead.

The Vikings answered back with two in the bottom of the frame to go back in front, 3-2. Neither team scored in the sixth inning. But the Hawks brought two runners across the plate in the top of the seventh to regain the lead 4-3.

BBCC evened things up 4-4 with a run in the bottom of the inning, and then added one in the bottom of the ninth for a come-from-behind 5-4 victory. Jordan Higley went six innings to pick up the win on the bump. Tyler Shaffer came on in relief to record the save.

BBCC 6, 12

BMCC 2, 7

The Vikings led from start to finish in the first game of the doubleheader against Timberwolves. BBCC scored two runs in the top of the second, one in the sixth and two in the seventh to take a 5-0 lead.

Blue Mountain put two on the board in the bottom of the seventh for the teams' only runs of the game. The Vikings added an insurance run in the top of the eighth to bring the score to 6-2 BBCC.

Daniel Deaton pitched six and a third innings, giving up two runs off four hits to record the win.

The second game of the twin bill was a real slug-fest as the Vikings and Timberwolves pounded out 24 hits between them.

BBCC got on the board first with two runs in the top of the second inning. BMCC responded with two in the bottom of the frame to tie the game 2-2. A run in the top of the third put the Vikings back in front, 3-2.

The scored held up until the Timberwolves hung two runs on BBCC in the bottom of the fourth to regain the lead, 4-3. The top of the fifth was pivotal for the Vikings as they scored four runs to go up top, 7-4. BBCC made it 8-4 with a run in the top of the seventh.

Two runs in the bottom of the inning closed the gap for the home team, 8-6. The team's got a run each in the eighth to make it 9-7. Down by just two runs, BMCC still had hopes of salvaging a split. But three unanswered runs by the Vikings in the ninth sealed the deal for BBCC, 12-7.

Jake Gonzales got the win for the Vikings.

"The guys felt good taking both doubleheaders to end the season," Doumit said. "It was a tough year for them as they had to learn a new system. But they did a good job picking things up. Next year will be different as only half of the guys have to learn it."