Pullman Posse rolls to state playoffs

Evan Parks, first baseman for Pullman Posse, collides with West Valley’s Dylan Androes Saturday at McDonald Park. The Posse advanced with a 7-1 win.

Pullman Posse rolled up a 3-1 record over three days in the AA Legion district playoff at Spokane to bag a third place entry in the state finals which will open Saturday at Mount Vernon and Burlington in the northwest corner of the state.

Sixteen teams will be at the state AA finals which will start with the teams in four different divisions. Posse is slated to play Walla Walla at 10 a.m. Saturday. The playoff is slated to extend for six days.

In the three-day district finals, Posse started with a big win Saturday at McDonald Park, sustained a loss to the Asotin Blues in the Sunday round at Spokane and then went back Monday to win an elimination game and then shut down Gonzaga Prep in the third-fourth game.

The district title game Monday saw Mt. Spokane thrash the Asotin Blues 14-0 to take the top district slot for the Mt. Vernon show. Asotin will be the number two club.

Saturday at McDonald, Pullman Posse hammered 12 hits for a 7-1 win over West Valley in the series opener.

Posse pitcher Jake Wells, Pullman sophomore who started the summer on the roster for the younger A division Whitman Cougars, held West Valley to just one hit.

Wells Saturday struck out six Eagles and walked six in throwing the one-hitter. Spencer Walker had three of the 12 Posse hits.

The Posse offense had runners on the bases in early innings and then broke out for two runs in the fourth inning and four more in the fifth with Hunter Mosebar, Konner Kinkade, Spencer Walker and Pete Schultheis tagging singles.

Evan Parks hit a dribbler past second base, and Parker Huber lofted one to center to keep the runners moving.

West Valley scored its lone run in the sixth when Braxton Swenson rapped a single with the bases loaded. Walker and the Posse shut off the rally after the one WV run.

West Valley made the trip to Colfax Saturday after taking a 12-2 win over Ferris in the first round of the playoff Friday at Jackson field in Spokane.

In the Sunday game, Asotin broke out for all of its eight runs in the fourth inning to erase a 2-0 Posse lead and go on to take the 8-6 win to advance to the title game.

Each side had eight hits in the Sunday game, but Posse charted four errors.

Kinkade and Huber each had two of the eight Posse hits.

Huber started for Colfax, and Walker went to the mound in the fourth inning.

Monday at Spokane the Posse dropped Trail, B.C., 4-2 in the elimination game to guarantee a slot in the state show, and then shut out Gonzaga 3-0 to get the number-three start at Mount Vernon.

Against Trail, Posse pitcher Parks allowed six hits in taking the 4-2 win. Posse posted a 2-1 lead after three frames and scored its last two runs in the bottom of the sixth inning. They had nine hits in the elimination win with Mosebar tagging three of them.

Kinkade rapped a double for the lone extra base hit against the Canadian club, and Walker, Schultheis and Parks had the other hits.

Cal Gregory Monday night allowed Gonzaga just two hits in the 3-0 shutout for the third-place finish.

Walker doubled to top the three-hit offense for the locals. He booked the hit in the first inning and scored on a sacrifice shot by Park to score the first run which turned out to be the only run Posse needed for the win.

Each team had one error in the last game.

The four teams advancing from Spokane represent Legion District No. 3 in the state event. Each of the four districts in the state is assigned four slots and each will play in a separate divisions at the start of the tournament.