Riverdogs nab pair of wins in Ellensburg on Thursday

ELLENSBURG — The Columbia Basin Riverdogs 17U squad traveled to Ellensburg on Thursday and left with a pair of wins.

The Riverdogs took down Dragons Elite Blue 16U 8-5 in their opening game Thursday afternoon.

A pair of runs in the bottom of the first inning helped Columbia Basin jump ahead. Dragons Elite cut the lead down to one in the top of the second before the Riverdogs strung four runs together to pull ahead.

Two runs in the bottom of the third gave the Riverdogs a comfortable seven-run edge for much of the rest of the contest. A late four-run burst in the top of the seventh wasn’t enough to bridge the gap as the Riverdogs held on for the win.

Jett Nelson led the Riverdogs from the plate, finishing 2-3 with a pair of runs and RBIs. The Riverdogs out-hit their opponents 8-5 in the win. Asher Lindgren and Cooper Correia both chipped in a pair of RBIs as well.

In their second game of the day, the Riverdogs managed to pull away from Expos 16U late for the 12-4 victory.

Up 4-2 after the first, the Expos managed to hold off the Columbia Basin surge long enough to tie the game at 4-4 going into the bottom of the fourth. Two runs in the bottom of the inning, adding six more in the fifth, helped the Riverdogs take the victory after five innings.

Four players on the Columbia Basin squad managed multiple hits in the win. Seth Olson led the team from the plate, finishing 3-4 with a pair of runs and an RBI.

Peyton Juarez helped pile in the runs with a team-high four RBIs, going 2-2 from the plate. Lindgren finished 2-2 as well, knocking in three RBIs in the process and scoring a pair of runs.

The Columbia Basin summer team sits at 4-2 after the pair of wins on Thursday. The Riverdogs return to the field today at 10 a.m. when they face off against Dragons Elite Green 16U, the first game in a doubleheader.