Rangers tame Wolves in valley show down
Andrew Christiansen
Reporter
Goldendale’s undefeated season was derailed in Naches last week in a pair of games that revealed a lot about the two teams. The Rangers claimed another league championship with 4-0 and 9-6 wins over the Timberwolves, but the Wolves showed enough to leave doubt about how things might go if there is a playoff rematch.
Naches Valley showed the discipline of a defending State champion. They proved they could manufacture runs by doing the basics, like advancing runners with bunts and sacrifices. They were also patient at the plate, milking nine walks out of otherwise good Timberwolf pitching.
For their part, Goldendale at times looked over-eager at the plate and lacked the confidence of a team that had steamrolled most of its opponents. It is no small matter to beat a team that has owned you for as long as Naches Valley has owned the Timberwolves. However, the Wolves appeared to have more offensive tools and the depth in their pitching looks like an advantage over the Rangers and the kind of thing that is necessary to make it through playoffs.
After giving up four runs, three of them earned, in the first inning, Trevor Fields settled down and pitched two-hit ball the rest of the way, but Goldendale couldn’t score, although they had runners on base in five of the seven innings.
After struggling through the first four batters of game two, Cody Herin retired six batters in a row and had six strike outs through the third inning. He also had a 4-2 lead. Justin Garrigus, Herin and Fields hit consecutive singles with one out in the fourth inning, Garrigus scoring on Fields’ hit, which also chased pitcher Aaron Putas. Aaron Cochran greeted reliever, Noel Gonzalez with a double. With Fields on third and Cochran on second, up stepped Lucas Denney. Denney crushed a ball over the right center field wall in the third inning, and the Rangers weren’t about to give him another opportunity, so they gave him an intentional pass. But Gonzalez caught the next batter looking at a two strike pitch and escaped with only two runs given up in a four hit inning.
Herin gave up a run in the fourth before giving way to Nolin Bare with runners on first and second. The first batter Bare faced advanced the runners with a bunt, well played by Bare for one out. The next batter struck out, and then disaster struck. Cody Johns battled Bare, eventually hitting a ball off the end of the bat into center field. Garrigus got a late jump on the mis-hit ball and couldn’t get the out with a diving attempted catch. Two runs scored, closing the lead to 6-5. The next batter, J. R. Weigel completed the damage with a two-run home run to take the lead and the game. The Rangers scored two insurance runs in the sixth inning and laid claim to the league title.
A pair of wins over Condon on Saturday helped regain some confidence. Cochran, Denney and Reed Lindhe each had three RBI in the first game while Bare was the star of the second with two home runs and five RBI. Kaden Milliren had 11 strike outs in the complete game 23-6 win. Granger was scheduled to be in Goldendale for the league finale on Tuesday. District playoff start on May 11. The losses to Naches Valley were a set-back, but this is still a team that ran up a 14-0 record and could still post the best record in memory at Goldendale. With a little bit of discipline and confidence, they expect to make another run in the post season when the wins count the most. Goldendale should host the number three team from the SCAC east in Goldendale on May 11, game time 4 p.m. The second game will be at the highest seeded team’s field on May 14, also at 4 p.m. Subsequent games will be played at Larson Field in Moses Lake.
Cougars struck by Lightning in pair of pitching duals
Tori Gonzalez is one of those fastpitch pitchers who can really bring it, often making it difficult for opponents to get a hit, let alone score. Gonzalez ran into a Lyle-Wishram team that wasn’t afraid to stand in there and swing, Saturday, and it resulted in two very competitive games. The Lady Cougars came up short in both games, 5-1 and 7-5, but left Union Gap with confidence they have a shot of upending the Lightning when league playoffs begin.
Game one featured stellar fielding in addition to good pitching on both sides. Karlee Roth scattered eight hits but the Cougars couldn’t provide the run support allowing Kassidy Quesnell’s two RBI to be enough for the win.
LaSalle’s defense came undone in game two as the Cougars scored four runs in the first inning without getting the ball out of the infield. Lisha Rishley, Dakota Doolin and Lena Mueller all reached base on infield singles, Olivia Fox reached by error and Roth walked.
The Lightning returned the favor with two runs off two infield hits and a wild pitch by starter Deriyon Lacock. LaSalle tied the game in the second inning without getting a hit. The lead-off runner walked. The next batter struck out, but the ball got away from catcher, Risley and the runner made it to first base. When the first batter continued to run for third, an error allowed her to score and the strike out victim ended up on third base. She scored later on a wild pitch and the final three batters were set down in order.
Lacock doubled to drive in Shelby Casey in the third, but LaSalle countered with an unearned run of their own to maintain the tied game. Roth replaced Lacock in the fourth and LaSalle scored another unearned run on a wild pitch. Casey doubled in the fifth, but was erased on a delayed steal attempt at third. LaSalle scored an insurance run in the fifth and Gonzalez retired the next six batters to give LaSalle the 7-5 win.
A win against White Swan on Tuesday would secure a second place finish for Lyle-Wishram.
Kaseberg sets record in break-away roping, six headed to State
Jessica Kaseberg set a District record in the break-away roping event in a time of 3.176 seconds at the final competition for the Goldendale High School equestrian team. The next stop for Kaseberg and teammates Amber Mercer, Averie Morgan, Alyson Mello, Elizabeth Matula and Holli Mansfield is State on May 13-16 in Wenatchee.
Kaseberg led the way as each of the team members set new personal best times in the gaming events at Wenatchee on May 1. Kaseberg has also qualified for State in the figure eight and joins Alyson Mello in team sorting, on the strength of their bronze medal performance.
Mello also finished second in working rancher and will be an alternate to State in steer daubing.
Mercer and Morgan placed second in team sorting and will compete at State. The pair is also part of the drill team that finished second and will compete at State. Other drill team members are Mansfield and Elizabeth Matula. |
