Spokane runs away from River Dogs
Rodney Harwood/Columbia Basin Herald River Dogs left fielder Tristan Garland is congratulated for making the defensive catch of the night on an over-the-shoulder catch during Tuesday's Senior Babe Ruth League game at Johnson-O'Brien Stadium.
Rodney Harwood/Columbia Basin Herald River Dogs second baseman Camron Valdez of Othello takes a swing during his at-bat against the Spokane Crew during Senior Babe Ruth League action at Johnson-O'Brien Stadium.
Rodney Harwood/Columbia Basin Herald Columbia Basin River Dogs runner Evan Devolve (37) slides safely into third base as Spokane's Dylan Grogran tries to come up with the throw during Senior Babe Ruth League action at Johnson-O'Brien Stadium on Tuesday.
EPHRATA — Tristan Garland made a spectacular over-the-shoulder, diving catch in the left-center power alley to deny an extra base hit. Austin White pitched his way out of a jam with runners on first and third and no outs without giving up a run. Zac Berryman drove in a run with a hard hit ball to the right side.
But the Columbia Basin River Dogs could muster just three hits, combined with a couple of errors, and they just couldn’t stay with the Spokane Crew in Tuesday night’s 5-1 Senior Babe Ruth League loss at Johnson-O’Brien Stadium.
Evan Devolve beat the throw into third base in the bottom half of the first inning to set up Berryman’s RBI, scoring when the Ephrata shortstop, who’s headed to Walla Walla Community College this fall, ripped a ball to the right side to drive in a run. But that was the extent of the River Dogs offense. They had just three hits on the night, including White’s single to start off the seventh inning.
“We competed hard,” River Dogs manager Randy Boruff said. “The Spokane Crew is an older club, an 18-year-old senior club. No excuses, we just didn’t play very well today.”
The River Dogs, who were coming off a semifinal appearance at the Centralia Father’s Day Tournament, were missing several players from the weekend roster. They played with just 12 players.
“I’ve been playing pretty solid and hitting pretty well. I hit .350 at the Centralia tournament,” second baseman Camron Valdez said. “I’m pretty much a contact hitter. I’ve been able to drive most everything I hit. I don’t hardly strike out at all.
“Mostly I hit singles, base hits, doubles here and there. So it’s been a pretty good first half.”
Berryman’s RBI gave the River Dogs the early lead in the first, but the Crew scored three runs in the third inning to take the lead and never look back. They scored again in the sixth.
White opened the seventh with a base hit, giving Columbia Basin a little spark. But Spokane Community College commit Chase Grillo struck out two and handled a comebacker to end the game.
In two weeks, the organization will rearrange its roster, taking the top 18 players from the Blue and the White teams to form a select team for the first time in River Dogs history. The Select team will play in the Senior Babe Ruth state tournament and the White team will continue to play a strong schedule the remaining of the summer.
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