Colfax defeats Asotin twice to lead NE-south

Colfax baseball players Monday logged two big wins at Asotin to post a 4-0 run mark against teams on the south side of the NE league. The Bulldogs had strong pitching performances from starters Danny Robinson and Parker Huber.

Coach Mike Parrish noted the Bulldogs were wary of Asotin which consistently turns out top baseball teams. The Panthers hosted Colfax after running a 7-2 mark, a lot more games than Colfax has managed to play during the rainout spring.

"We knew we had to take these two games if we were going to have a chance to finish in first place," Parrish commented.

The NE baseball league is split in north and south divisions with matchups in inverse order of when the district playoff starts the first week of May.

Colfax has had league twin bills rained out against Tekoa/Rosalia and Davenport. Parrish said right now the Davenport games could be scratched because the Gorillas are on the north side of the league, and the results will not be needed to determine the south side slots in the playoffs.

The Tekoa/Rosalia game here looks like it will be played next Tuesday. That date had been booked to play St. George's, but the Dragons also are a north side team and the matchup results would not be required to determine the placings for the south side.

Colfax Friday is scheduled to play its third south side foe, the LRS Broncos, at Ritzville in a twin bill.

Monday, Colfax took out Asotin 13-3 and 15-6 on the Panthers' turf.

"Both of those games were actually very close until the finish," coach Parrish said.

In the first game, the Bulldogs trailed 0-2 until they scored three runs in the fourth inning. They then erupted for eight runs in the fifth inning to take control.

Robinson held the Panthers to five hits, struck out five and walked zero. He threw 82 pitches in racking up the win.

"He was just very efficient," Parrish commented.

Huber doubled, and Nate Akesson singled to start the three-run fourth inning for Colfax. All three Colfax scores came on walks.

In the eight-run eighth inning, Kyle Appel doubled and Kieran Anderson, Blake Body, Cal Gregory and Robinson all had singles.

In the second game, Huber allowed Asotin five hits, fanned six Panther batters and walked just one.

Colfax scored one run in the second inning with Appel tagging another double and Matt Sharp picking up the RBI hits.

Colfax picked up another run in the fifth to tie it at 2-2 with Anderson and Bodey getting hits.

It unraveled for Asotin in the top of the seventh when Colfax mixed five hits with three walks, two Asotin errors and a hit batter for the 10-run explosion on the way to the 12-6 win.

Asotin starter Noah Renzleman, who dueled Huber over the first six innings, was knocked out of the game and the Panthers used two other pitchers before they stifled the Bulldogs charge.