River Dogs open Babe Ruth World Series with a loss and a win
Bob Kirkpatrick/The Sun Tribune - The Moses Lake River Dogs Evan McLean nearly catches a Midland, Texas runner napping on a pickoff move to first base.
Bob Kirkpatrick/The Sun Tribune - Columbia Basin River Dogs Joe Taylor isn't so keen on the called strike by the home plate ump.
Bob Kirkpatrick/The Sun Tribune - Othello's Arcenio Martinez keeps a watchful eye on the Flying Squirrels pitcher as he creeps off second base.
EPHRATA – The Columbia Basin and Moses Lake River Dogs both opened the Senior Babe Ruth World Series with a loss and a win to go 1-1 in pool play.
Moses Lake took to the diamond first in a 5 p.m. start on Saturday, Aug. 5 against Southwest Regional Champion Midland, Texas.
Midland opened the scoring on a one-out single in the bottom of the first inning by Chase Kemp. The River Dogs knotted the contest 1-1 on a one-out single by Moses Lake's Emmitt Tatum in the top of the third, and then took a 2-1 lead on a single by Brewster's Jeff Sommeman who came around to score an unearned run on a throwing error by the Texas catcher.
The lead held up until the bottom of the sixth when Midland hung three on the board, two of which were unearned. The River Dogs threatened in the top of the seventh, but stranded a runner at first to end the ball game.
Tatum, Dominic Signoelli, Daulton Kentner and Sonneman each had a hit in the contest. Moses Lake's Evan McLean got the start on the bump and gave up 3 runs off 5 hits, walked 3 and committed 3 errors in 5 innings of work.
Brandon Morse got the nod for Midland. He gave up 2 runs off 5 hits, walked 5 five and fanned 10 River Dogs in 6 2/3 innings.
The Columbia Basin River Dogs took the field in the last contest of the day at 8 p.m. against the Fighting Squirrels from Charleston, Mo. The Squirrels ace Trey McDaniel dominated the host team of the tournament in a 3-1 win, tossing a no-hitter through 6 innings of work and fanning 10 River Dogs. He gave up jut one hit.
Othello's Abel Gomez turned in a solid outing on the hill for Columbia Basin, giving up 3 runs off 4 hits while punching out 7 Charleston batters.
The Fighting Squirrels got on the board first on an RBI single by Bradon Cox in the home half of inning No. 1. Cox double in the second run of the game in the bottom of the third to make it 2-0. Two errors in the bottom of the fifth pushed the score to 3-0 Charleston.
Columbia Basin avoided the shutout when Duncan Favor from Eastmont, scored on a fielders choice. Quincy's Nick Lopez recorded the lone hit for the River Dogs.
Sunday
It was a different outcome for both River Dogs teams Sunday, Aug. 6 with each team coming away with a 'W.'
Moses Lake pulled out a 7-4 come-from-behind win over Pacific Southwest Regional Champion Tucson, Ariz. in a 5 p.m. tilt to even its record at 1-1.
Tucson jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first on a wild pitch by River Dogs starter Peter Aspoholm from Liberty Bell. The team from Arizona added a run the second and third innings to make it 3-0.
The River Dogs hung two on the board in the bottom of the third to get back in it. Moses Lake loaded the bags with three consecutive singles by Daulton Kentner, Othello's A.J. Pruneda and Emmitt Tatum. Dominic's one-out double brought Kentner and Pruneda across the dish to close the gap.
Moses Lake broke the game open with four runs in the home half of the fourth inning. The team added one in the fifth to take a commanding lead, 7-3.
Tucson got one back in the top of the seventh, but that's all the Pacific Southwest Regional Champion could muster.
Kentner had the hot stick for Moses Lake, going 2-for-3 with and RBI and a run scored. Signorelli went 1-for-3 and finished with 2 RBI. Pruneda recorded the win, tossing 4 ½ innings, giving up 1 run off 3 hits.
The Columbia Basin River Dogs held off a determined Surry, North Carolina team 3-2 in an 8 p.m. ball game to pick up their first win in pool play. Columbia Basin jump up top 2-0 in the bottom of the second, Brewster's Joe Taylor got things started with a leadoff single to right. Ephrata's Zach Berryman was hit by a pitch to put runners on first and second. A bunt single by Dakota Fingers from Okanogan, loaded the bases. Duncan Favor's line drive single up the middle brought Taylor and Berryman home.
Surry battled back to even it up 2-2 in the top of the fourth.
Quincy's Nic Lopez opened the bottom of the fifth with a double off the left field wall. Othello's Arcenio Martinez drove in Lopez with what turned out to be the game winning run on a single to center.
Surrey threatened in the top half of the seventh with two on and two out, but an outstanding diving catch of a sinking fly ball to center by Fingar sealed the win for the River Dogs.
“It was nice to get our first win,” coach Randy Boruff said. “We don't hit the ball real well – it was a bug-a-boo in this game and the first one as well. But we are a good defensive team – got two sterling defensive plays in this game from Joe Taylor at short on a bare-handed play – and the last play of the game from Dakota Finger. I was glad for him because he had left the bases loaded twice –but he came through for us when we really needed him with the nice diving catch.”
Boruff said the team has struggled against top notch pitching, and such was the case in their opening couple of games.
“We probably faced the best pitcher in the World Series in the kid from Missouri Saturday and haven't hit very well against good pitching all year,” he said. “So we'll have to win games with good defense and good pitching and hopefully get a timely hit or two. Baseball comes down to three things; good pitching, good defense and good hitting from 10-year-olds through the pro's – we've gotten two of the three, but just really have gotten the clutch hits –that's what we're waiting for – maybe we'll get them when it really counts.”
Both teams are back in action tonight when the Moses Lake River Dogs take on Ohio Valley at 5, and the Columbia Basin River Dogs match up with New England at 8.