Central Washington must execute to advance at state

MOSES LAKE — Robert Haensel perused an article that featured a coach from the Cal State-Fullerton baseball program.

It outlined the three keys of winning: throw strikes, make the routine play and put the ball in play, especially with runners in scoring position. Should a team execute two out of those three objectives, the coach opined, there’s a 70 percent chance of a win; executing three out of three raised the percentage to 90.

Baseball can be a cruel game, but the skipper of the Spuds thinks his team has a legitimate opportunity at the upcoming American Legion State Tournament.

“We’re feeling pretty good,” Haensel said. “I thought our bats had come to life.”

The Spuds recently wrapped up a stretch of 10 games in seven days, finishing with a 7-9 league record and the No. 4 seed. The Spuds could have moved up to the three seed with a sweep at Hanford in the season finale, but the two teams split and the Flames held the tiebreaker.

Central Washington opens to the tournament against the No. 1 seed out of Area 3 — Mt. Spokane. Saturday’s game will be a rematch of a nine-inning affair between both teams on June 27. The Spuds lost 7-6, their rally falling short after four runs in the bottom of the ninth.

“We didn’t have our defense,” Haensel said.

That defense has improved over the past few weeks, highlighted by zero errors in a 9-2 win against second place Twin City.

“Our defense has to play clean,” Haensel said. “We can’t give up free bases.”

Central Washington is younger than most AAA Legion teams, boasting only one player with community college experience. But Haensel isn’t worried as even the youngest players on the roster have high school varsity experience.

Cade Tunstall is the one player with college baseball experience. Tunstall pitched for Big Bend in the spring.

In the summer, Tunstall has been nothing short of dominant, posting a 1.81 earned run average and 39 strikeouts to just two walks.

However, with the extension to nine innings in the state tournament advancement will take more than one arm.

“We’re going to need our whole staff,” Haensel said. “Those two extra innings add a lot to a game.”

Central Washington’s first game is Saturday, noon, against Mt. Spokane at Hart Field.