WVC Baseball - All on the line

Knights beat Walla Walla on walk-off slam, then fall to CBC
NWAACC baseball tournament: All on the line


By Brent Stecker
World sports writer
Posted May 17, 2008

Columbia Basin's Brady Farrington runs back to his dugout after tagging Wenatchee Valley College's Zane Bator to end the third inning of their regional playoff game Friday night at Paul Thomas Sr. Field in Wenatchee. Wenatchee lost after giving up five runs in the first inning. They continue the double elimination tourney Saturday. (World photo/Don Seabrook)



WENATCHEE — The Wenatchee Valley College Knights breezed through the regular season. Now they're trying to catch their breath in the playoffs.


Edward Rodriguez

Three errors and pitching woes cost the top-seeded Knights in an 11-7 loss to Columbia Basin in the second round of Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges East Region tournament play Friday at Paul Thomas Stadium. WVC opened the tournament with a dramatic 8-5 win over Walla Walla that was capped off by a mammoth walk-off grand slam by Edward Rodriguez, but the loss to the Hawks leaves them in a must-win situation to keep their season alive.

"We weren't ready to play the second game," Wenatchee Valley coach Rusty Keith said. "(Columbia Basin) flat outplayed us."

The Knights must beat Treasure Valley in a noon contest Saturday to clinch a spot in next week's NWAACC tournament in Longview. The winner of that game will play Columbia Basin at 3 p.m. to determine the two seeds from the region. If Columbia Basin loses, the two teams will meet again at noon Sunday.

After defeating Treasure Valley earlier in the day, Columbia Basin came out firing on all cylinders against the Knights. Thanks to four hits, one walk and a Wenatchee Valley error, the Hawks pushed across five runs in the first inning.

The WVC pitching staff couldn't cool off the Columbia Basin hitters, and the Hawks ended up scoring at least one run in five different innings.

"We just walked too many guys and weren't able to throw first-pitch strikes," Keith said. "It just seems like every time we make a mistake there are runners on (base). They took advantage of that and that's a credit to them." On the bright side, the Knights did some damage on offense themselves and pounded out 13 hits in the game.

Center fielder Curran Redal went 4-for-4 with two doubles, two runs scored and an RBI to lead WVC. Seth Anderson was 3-for-4 and Rodriguez was 2-for-5 with two RBIs.

The main source of trouble for the Knights was Tyler Reeves, Columbia Basin's leadoff man. The pesky second baseman went 2-for-3, drew a walk, was hit by a pitch, scored four runs and drove in another.

WVC 8, Walla Walla 5

With the Knights trailing 5-4 in the bottom of the ninth with one out and the bases loaded, Rodriguez proved how clutch he is by walloping a walk-off grand slam to keep Wenatchee Valley in the winner's bracket.

Warrior closer Jacob Hiatt took the ball in the last inning, but he appeared to be off his game from the start and issued a walk to Bracken Howerton.

Tyler Slesk bunted him over to second, and Redal legged out a dribbler along the third base line to put runners on the corners.

Joe Intermill drew a walk to load the bases, and Rodriguez worked the count to 2-2 by fouling off a few pitches before depositing a Hiatt offering over the wall in left-center field.

"I was just trying to clear my hands and he made a mistake," Rodriguez said.

"I don't think he could have got (that pitch) any more than he got it," Keith said.

The hard-hitting catcher said the Knights fed off each other in the last inning.

"It seemed like the momentum was up real high," he said. "You have the support of each other and people are counting you. When you get up you just have to do your job and get a hit."

Wenatchee Valley trailed 2-1 in the bottom of the fifth inning, but Redal and Intermill each singled and Rodriguez walked with two outs. Zane Bator then ripped a double down the line to score two runs.

Howerton added an RBI single in the sixth to give WVC a 4-2 lead, but an error on a sacrifice bunt play in the eighth brought in two runs for the Warriors, and Michael Tompkins brought in a third with a groundout to put them back in the lead.

Redal and Intermill were each 2-for-5, while Howerton was 2-for-4. Intermill scored two runs while Redal, who will play for the Wenatchee AppleSox this summer, scored once.

Southpaw Zach Swart was solid on the mound, striking our four and allowing five runs (four earned) in seven innings.

Jeff Denton allowed one hit in two scoreless innings of relief to get the win for Wenatchee Valley.