Patriots’ charge ends short of nailing state entry

Patriots third baseman Brady Mooney lets the ball fly as he chases Drew Oord of the Twin City Titans in a rundown early in the first-round game at McDonald Park. Catcher JJ Robinson eventually stopped Oord before he made it to the plate.

Pullman Patriots came to the end of the Legion baseball road Sunday at McDonald Park when they bowed 6-9 to Pacific Tech of Longview in the last game of the state regional qualifications at Colfax. Longview’s win nailed the number-two slot to the state Legion finals this week at Selah.

The Twin City Titans, who defeated the Patriots in the first round Saturday and Longview in the championship round Sunday morning, took the number-one Legion ticket to state out of the four-team regional.

Titan Coach Steve Farrington argues with the umpire about runner interference in the first game. Farrington, former WSU coach who now coaches the CBC team, was ousted from the game.

COLFAX REGIONAL RECAP

Saturday

Longview 12-Wenatchee 4

Twin City 13-Patriots 3

Saturday Elimination

Patriots 11-Wenatchee 6

Sunday Title Game

Twin City 10-Longview 9

Sunday Elimination

Longview 9-Patriots 6

Eight teams, two from each of the four regionals, will be in the state show at Selah.

Saturday, the Patriots started the regional with a 3-13 loss to the Titans, a team made up mostly of players from Kamiakin and Richland High Schools. The Titans scored three runs in the fourth inning to take a 4-0 lead, but the Pats came back to score one in the fifth and two more in the top of the seventh.

A seven-run Titan charge in the seventh dropped the hammer. They came back for two more in the bottom of the eighth inning to shut it down.

The Titans rapped 14 hits with Jeff Markel pegging two hits with a homer and Cal Campbell also tagging two.

Jackson Webb had two hits with a double, and Nick Scourey booked two hits to lead the 12-hit attack. The Patriots also committed three errors which took a toll.

Patriots' shortstop JJ Robinson gets the tag down on Wenatchee's Reed Jaspers early in the Saturday game. The Patriots came from behind to eliminate the Apple Valley Packers and advance to the second day of the Legion regional at Colfax.

Brandon Hoadley started for Colfax and Nick Scourey relieved him in the seventh.

The first round loss put the Pats up against the Apple Valley Packers from Wenatchee Saturday night at McDonald in the first elimination game. The packers had a 6-2 lead after three innings, but the Patriots came back with three runs in the bottom of the fifth to tie it and five more in the bottom of the seventh to put it away.

Brett Druffel had the start for the Patriots, and lefty Jackson Webb relieved him in the sixth when the Packers had two runners on the bases after Patriot errors. Webb fanned the next Packer and that left the two runners stranded.

In the bottom of the sixth, JJ Robinson singled with two out, and Brett Druffel doubled. Webb walked to load up the bases, and Longview pulled reliever Evan Parton and replaced him with Ian Seqdal. Hoadley greeted the reliever with a towering fly to the Packers center fielder who lost track of the ball in the lights. Two of the runners scored. Barner then singled in Hoadley to make it 10-6.

In the seventh, Brett Druffel singled and Jackson Webb drew a walk. Hoadley then singled in Druffel to advance the score to 11-6.

In the top of the next inning, Hoadley made a big stop that doubled up Packer runners and killed a rally.

In the ninth, the Packers saw a chance when Webb walked a runner on four straight pitches. The next two batters hit into outs and Webb finished it with a strikeout.

The Pats finished with 11 hits against the Wenatchee team, and Hoadley was credited with seven RBIs. He booked four hits with a pair of doubles. Robinson and Brett Druffel each paired doubles against the Packers, and Will Hatley had two hits.

The Saturday night comeback win put the Patriots into a last-chance game against the loser of the title game, Pacific Tech of Longview. The Pats and Longview faced off in the last round of the Colfax tourney Sunday afternoon.

The locals took an early 2-0 lead, but it evaporated as the Pacific bats went to work. Longview, capped by a three-run triple by first baseman Colin Rodriquez, took charge with four runs in the bottom of the third. They added five more runs over the next two innings to stake a 9-2 lead.

Longview starter Brandon Middleton settled into a groove and held off Patriot for five innings.

Jackson Webb, who pitched relief work the previous night, replaced starter JJ Robinson on the mound in the fourth and managed to shut down the Pacific charge after a two-run hit by Jack Look.

Pacific didn’t score after the fourth, and Hoadley replaced Webb in the seventh.

The Patriots charged for four runs in the eight inning. Brett Druffel greeted Pacific reliever Colin Giles with a homer. Webb tagged a hit to right and Hoadley drew a walk. Brady Mooney hit to left and scored Webb. Will Hatley then hit into a Pat error and the Pats finished the frame trailing 6-9.

Druffel came back in the top of the ninth with a rap down the third base line, but the next three batters went down in order and that ended it.

The Patriots out-hit Longview 13-7 in their last game, but they left runners on the bags in the middle innings when Longview’s starter got the out when he need them.