Patriots book 2-1 in state Legion semis berth

Pullman Patriots booked a 2-1 mark at the Spokane Legion playoffs over the weekend at AK Jackson field to qualify for the state’s 16-team semi-final round this weekend. The Patriots will be headed for Issaquah, one of four sites for the state semi event.

The Patriots are booked to play Pac Tech, the Longview area team which has bumped them from the regionals for the last two years. Pac Tech won the state title two years ago. The regional round will be at Issaquah High.

Two teams from each regional site will advance to the final eight playoff for the title next week at Selah.

McDonald Field at Colfax will host one of the this week’s four regionals with the 49ers, Spokane league champions, getting the “home” field slot after earning a pass on last weekend’s scramble at Jackson Field.

Both of the Patriots wins at Jackson were over the Cannons, the Spokane Valley entry in the senior league.

The Patriots took an early lead Saturday and made it hold up behind the pitching of Matt Peterson who pitched into the eighth inning.

The Pats then went up against the Bandits, first-day winners with a 7-6 over the Blue Devils. Pullman sustained a 7-10 loss to the Bandits in the first Sunday round. That put them up against the Cannons in the last round, and they pulled it out with a two-run rally in the bottom of the last inning for a 4-3 win.

Saturday, the Patriots and the Cannons dueled through the opening innings with the score locked up at 2-2 in the top of the fourth inning. The Cannons then inched it up to 3-2 in the top of the fourth.

Peterson, who held the Cannons to just four hits, worked out of a jam in the top of the fifth when the Cannons loaded up the bases with two out. The threat ended when the next batter launched a fly.

Big rap of the game was a two run homer by Jeremy Druffel in the bottom of the sixth to put the Pats up 6-3. Dusty Lyons who rapped a double earlier in the game, added an insurance run with a homer.

The Patriots finished with 14 hits off the Cannons. Austin Sugis started on the mound for the Spokane club, and he was relieved by Casey Fink in the eighth.

Patriot defense booked some key plays during the game and finished with one error.

Jackson Webb relieved Peterson in the eighth inning and closed it out with the Cannons scoring one run in the top of the last innings.

Druffel and Lyons each finished the first game with three hits. Webb and Lance Lindgren added doubles and Bricyn Abdul, who had a two RBI hit, finished with two raps.

The Patriots then went up against the Bandits Sunday in a game which featured the first-round winners from Saturday.

The Patriots booked seven hits off Bandit pitchers, but were able to score only one run when Druffel and Webb linked doubles in the sixth inning.

Lyons went the distance on the mound for the Patriots and took the loss.

The Patriots then faced the Cannons in the last match for clubs which had posted 1-1 marks to that point. The Cannons had advanced to the rematch with a 4-3 win elimination win over the Blue Devils after 13 innings.

The Patriots notched a 2-0 lead after three innings in the second Cannons game with Mason Van Lith on the mound. The Cannons took the lead in the sixth inning with three runs and that held up through the top of the ninth inning.

Justin Cillay relieved Van Lith in the seventh for the Pats and kept the lid on the Cannons’ bats for the rest of the game.

Hunter Redinger was credited with the hero hit for the Pats in the bottom of the ninth to score the winning run. The inning started with Cillay getting a walk, and Roger McIntosh tagging a single. Cillay then scored on a fielders’ choice to tie it up an 3-3 and Redinger tagged his single to score McIntosh.

The Bandits, as the top qualifier out of Spokane, will play in the Legion state regional round at the Tri-Cities. The Cannons, number three out of Spokane, will head to Centralia for the other semi round.