Alvarado's no-hitter leads Moses Lake to first league title since 2014
Rodney Harwood/Columbia Basin Herald Moses Lake right-hander Vance Alvarado threw a no-hitter Tuesday against Eisenhower. He struck out nine and walked one for the win.
Rodney Harwood/Columbia Basin Herald Moses Lake's Josh Williams drives a ball down the third baseline during Tuesday's 15-0 victory over Eisenhower. The Chiefs secured their first CBBN championship since 2014 with the victory.
MOSES LAKE — Senior Jordan Rios stood answering questions after Tuesday’s 15-0 victory over Eisenhower, featuring Vance Alvarado’s no-hitter, when first-year manager Donnie Lindgren burst into the dugout shouting, “We did it, we did it. Gather round, Chiefs on three.”
You’d think the Moses Lake baseball team hadn’t won the Columbia Basin Big Nine league title for as long as anybody can remember. Well, since 2014 anyway.
“That’s what it’s like playing for Donnie. He has so much energy,” said Rios, who walked twice, scored twice and played a little shortstop on a day where the Chiefs (15-3, 13-3 CBBN) led start-to-finish. “Donnie’s philosophy is to go out and win everything. That’s the process you have to have to be successful in this league. I think the big difference between this year and the past couple of years is team chemistry.”
The combination of Alvarado’s no-no, with nine strikeouts, including Nate Gutierrez to end the game, and Eastmont’s 2-1 victory over Wenatchee in the first game of its doubleheader, gave Moses Lake its first CBBN title in four years.
“Winning the Big Nine means the world to me. We’ve been working for that the last three years. The best we’ve done since I started playing was third,” said Cody Goodwin, who continued with the hot bat, driving in two more on Tuesday after an eight-RBI game on Friday.
“It took awhile, but we finally got a league championship under our belt. Donnie is all about winning every game and that type of mentality is very helpful. I wouldn’t call it arrogant, I’d call it confidence, because of all the hard work we put in.”
Moses Lake still has a doubleheader at Eisnehower in Yakima on Friday, but the Chiefs sealed the deal with another outstanding pitching performance by Alvarado. He didn’t necessarily have the dominating stuff, but he did ride the fastball into the win column and was just one walk away from a perfect game.
“I focused on location, working inside and outside. My fastball was working, so I went with that most of the day,” Alvarado said. “It was mostly four-seams, but I do like the two-seamer because it moves into right-handed batters.
“We’re really good defensively and I’m really glad to have them behind me. We believed we were going to win league and that was one of our goals. The whole thing is about believing in yourself and your teammates, and we really do.”
Dax Lindgren connected on a 2-2 count, triggering a five-run first inning and the Chiefs never looked back, generating 15 runs on 15 hits. Goodwin had three hits. Zack Valdez drove in three runs. Emmitt Tatum scored four times and Kameron Huberdeau went 2-for-3.
“I’ve played for Donnie for awhile and he means business,” said Evan McLean. “We’re playing with a lot of confidence right now. Our coach is always telling us that it’s all about your next at-bat, whether you hit a home run or struck out. It’s all about coming back in your next at-bat and making a difference.”
The CBBN district tournament starts on Tuesday with the play-in bracket. It continues on May 11 and 12. As the champions, Moses Lake will not play until May 12.