Patriots will start state run against Vancouver

Palouse Patriots, a team which returned to Legion AAA action this year, will depart for Chehalis later this week to compete in the 16-team state Legion playoffs. The Patriots qualified second in the Spokane district playoffs after a grueling three-game wrap-up on Sunday.

The Patriots will open their state bid against the Vancouver Cardinals at 1 p.m. Saturday at W.F. West High School in Chehalis.

They are among 16 teams in the state Legion AAA finals booked into a double elimination tournament which will run until Wednesday.

The Patriots and North Stars, a team the Pats played three times over the weekend, are booked on one side of the state bracket. The L.C. Bandits and Shade Park, winners of the other two Spokane slots, are booked for games in the other bracket.

The Pats finished at Spokane with a grueling run three games on Sunday at Shadle Park's Jackson Field after pegging a big win in the Friday round and sustaining a big loss in the Saturday afternoon round.

Sunday's action saw the Patriots defeat Shadle 6-1, edge the North Stars 7-6 in the second game and then fall to the Stars 6-8 in the third game.

Parker Huber took the 6-1 win over Shadle in the first game. He allowed four hits, struck out four and walked three.

Grady Benton pitched the last inning and allowed zero to cap the win.

Cal Gregory hit a two-run single, and Payton Kallaher hit a two-run double in the second inning when the Pats moved out to a 5-0 lead.

Reece Chadwick had the start in Sunday's second game when the Patriots pegged a 7-6 win over the North Stars with a two-run capper in the seventh inning.

Chadwick allowed four hits over the first five innings. Benton and Konnor Kinkade followed Chadwick on the mound, and Kinkade was credited for the win when the Patriots pulled it out in the bottom of the seventh with the last two runs.

Each team bagged seven hits. Catcher Gregory led the local bats with two doubles, and Kyle Appel rapped two singles.

The Stars hammered 16 hits in the 8-6 win in the last game. The Patriots pitched Appel, Gregory and Chase Hayton in the closer which saw both teams running short of pitching arms after a long day of baseball.

The Stars took the lead with two runs in the first inning and kept it all the way until the last out.

The Patriots had nine hits in the closer. Zane Wilson paired doubles, and Parker Huber paired singles.

Saturday at Shadle the North Stars hammered 10 runs in the 11th inning to decisively end a game that was tied at 5-5 after regulation play. Final score was 15-6.

Each team finished with 13 hits in the game which lasted more than three hours. The Pats used five pitchers in the battle, with Kallaher getting the start.

The Patriots were booked into the Saturday battle after they had a nine-run rally in the Friday game to pull out a 11-8 win over Gonzaga. The Patriots trailed Gonzaga 2-8 before they detonated in the final frame.

Chadwick, Gregory, Appel and Connor Parrish pitched the win.

Kinkade had three singles to lead the hitting. He had a two-run rap during the rally. Huber also hit two RBI singles.