Three area teams launch Legion play

Three area baseball teams will be in Legion action over the coming weeks and will compete with Spokane and other area teams.

The Pullman Patriots are already five games into the season under Coaches Evan Hecker of Moscow and Pat Doumit of Colton.

Colfax lefthander Patrick Jacobs, who anchored the Bulldog rotation this year as a sophomore, is the lone Colfax player now on the roster for the Patriots who had a 4-1 record as of Wednesday with another league round booked for Wednesday at A.K. Jackson Field behind Shadle Park in Spokane.

New to the Legion alignment this year will be an A Division team headed by Joel Warwick of Colfax.

That team will be made up of younger players who have already booked a split with the Ferris High team to start the season.

The junior Legion team will be headed by Tyler Druffel of Pullman who is expected to crank up the season after he returns from college.

Garrett Burke and Jacob Altieri of the Bulldogs are playing on the Junior Legion team.

The Patriots Monday dropped a 4-5 decision to the Spokane Bandits in league play at WSU’s Bailey-Brayton Field in a matchup which also included weather battles. A second game was scratched because of the conditions.

Pullman grad Matt Peterson started for the Pats and worked five innings, but the Bandits’ offense ignited after Peterson left the mound. The Bandits claimed the lead in the top of the ninth inning.

The Patriots took a pair of wins over a visiting Trail, B.C., club with Jacobs and SJE grad Mason Van Lith pitching in the first game. Pullman came alive to score six runs in the bottom of the sixth to nail the 9-5 win. Van Lith relieved Jacobs in the sixth.

Colton grad Bricyn Abdul was catcher.

Pullman rolled out nine hits in the first game with Jackson Webb tagging two hits with a double. Peterson homered for the Pats in the first game.

Justin Cillay of Pullman threw a seven-hitter at the Trail team in the second game while the Pullman bats booked another strong game with 11 hits. Jeremy Druffel had two hits with a double.

Lance Lindgren of Oakesdale is also back with the club this year.

The Patriots started their season May 27 with a pair of wins over the Lewis-Clark Twins at Bailey Brayton.

They clobbered the valley club 23-3 in the opener with Peterson getting the start and Van Lith relieving him in the sixth. The Pats totaled 18 hits in the opener with Abdul leading on four hits with a homer and double. DePaul Blunt, a Clarkston recruit playing on the Pats, had three hits with a pair of triples.

The Patriots took an 8-7 win in the second game with two runs in the bottom of the extra eighth. Abdul tagged a two-run triple for walk-off honors. Lindgren had two hits for the Pats.