River Dogs 15-year-olds crowned state champion

EPHRATA — Jaxon Rocha continued his hot hitting on Saturday and the Columbia Basin River Dogs finished off the best-of-three series to win the North Washington 15-year-old Babe Ruth state championship with a 7-2 decision over Midland at Johnson-O’Brien Stadium.

Rocha, who went 2-for-3 in the opener on Friday, had three hits in the second game, for the River Dogs, who scored seven runs on eight hits.

“I was hitting the ball really well today,” Rocha said. “I like playing for this team because we represent the whole Columbia Basin when we wear this River Dogs jersey. We have kids from all over and winning the state championship means a lot because it shows all the hard work we’ve put in.”

The River Dogs broke open a one-run game in the top of the fifth when they scored three runs to take a 4-0 lead. Midland scored its only runs in the sixth, but Columbia Basin came back with two more in the last at-bat to close things out. The River Dogs won the first game on Friday in five innings with an 11-0 victory.

“We hit the ball really well in the first game, but we struggled a little today,” River Dogs manager Chuck Hansen said. “These guys haven’t been together all that long. They’re coming from everywhere, some from two hours away, so we haven’t practiced a whole lot. But they responded and won two back-to-back.”

Staff report