Moses Lake surrenders four-run lead in bottom of the seventh to lose to Wenatchee in state quarterfinals

SPOKANE — This one’s going to hurt for a good, long while. The swag that carried the Moses Lake Chiefs (17-5) to the Columbia Basin Big Nine league championship and to within three outs of the state semifinals disappeared when they needed it most.

The Chiefs left the door open with two mental mistakes in the bottom of the seventh inning and the same Panthers (14-7) that beat them a week ago for the district championship kicked it down on a walk-off home run by Seth Storlie to win the 4A state quarterfinal game 8-5 on Saturday at Al K. Jackson Field at Shadle Park High School in Spokane.

The young Moses Lake team had all the momentum, having successfully executing its second squeeze play of the day in the top half of the sixth to take a 5-1 lead into the final inning. But Chandler Holaday led off the inning with a single, and somehow that was enough to put the Chiefs back on their heels in a game where they had all the confidence in the world.

“We started playing not to lose instead of playing to win,” first-year Moses Lake manager Donnie Lindgren said. “The guys might be young, but they’ve played in some big games (in the summer), and they’ve got to get over that hump and start playing to win in these situations.”

Nolan Dorey put a drag bunt down the third base side and Moses Lake starter Austin Valdez slipped on the turf as he made the throw and Dorey beat it, giving the Panthers runners at first and second.

Moses Lake shortstop Cody Alvarado laid out on a ball hit up the middle and made the stop, but couldn’t get it out of his glove to make the play at second base. Suddenly, in a game that seemed all but over, the Panthers had the bases loaded with no outs.

“A couple of our guys weren’t expecting the ball. They didn’t want it, they didn’t go get it and that’s the whole year,” Lindgren said. “I told them, I’m super proud of all of them. Nobody wants to make mistakes, they worked their butts off all year long.

“But for it to come down playing on your heels instead of playing the way they can. Give Wenatchee all the credit, they played to win and it went their way in the end.”

Lindgren went to the bullpen and his senior Jordan Rios, who came in and slammed the door on Mead in a 3-1 decision in the first round earlier in the day. Rios got Dalton Thomas to fly out to Evan McLean in centerfield for the first out.

Had they gotten the force out at second base, coupled with the flyout, Ronin Haynes’ routine fly ball to left-center field would have been the final out and the Chiefs would be moving on. But with a miscommunication between the left and center fielders, the ball landed in no man’s land and the Panthers closed the gap. Rios gave up a two-RBI double to Colton Dyal and Wenatchee closed to 5-4 with two outs.

They brought in McLean to see if the junior right-hander couldn’t get one more out. They intentionally walked Thomas Blakney to load the bases and Storlie provided the decisive blow with the big hit.

“It’s been a very successful season. I don’t know the last time a Moses Lake team has gone to the Elite Eight,” Lindgren said. “We get all the way to the bottom of the seventh inning and to lose it like that is just a heartbreaker.”

Zack Valdez went 3-for-3 with two RBI. Evan McLean went 2-for-3, scored twice and drove in a run with a triple.

In the early game, Mead left-hander Mason Wells took a no-hitter into the fifth inning before Gabe Passey singled to break it up. The Chiefs scored twice in the sixth inning and added an insurance run on a Panther error in the seventh to advance to the Elite Eight.

Passey finished 2-for-2 with a run scored.