Colfax baseball loses Winner-To-State game

COLFAX - Colfax baseball saw their season come to a close in dramatic fashion Wednesday, May 10, as they lost to Northwest Christian in 11 innings.

The Bulldogs started the day defeating the Asotin Panthers 4-1 to reach the winner-to-state game.

Although the Bulldogs defeated Asotin by three, the score does not tell the story. Colfax had nine hits in the game and held Asotin to only three. Asotin also had three errors while the Bulldogs had zero.

JD Peterson pitched a complete game for the Bulldogs, pitching seven innings and allowing only one run on three hits. he also struck out eight batters.

Cody Ells pitched the complete game for the Panthers, allowing all nine hits and four runs from the Bulldogs.

Offensively, Peterson went 3-4 with a double to lead the Bulldogs. He also scored two runs.

The Bulldogs took the lead in the bottom of the first with an RBI from Alex Mortenson.

After the Panthers answered with a run of their own in the top of the second, the Bulldogs reclaimed the 2-1 lead.

After a few dead innings the Bulldogs would add two runs in the bottom of the fifth after a single from Mason Gilchrist.

The Bulldogs had a chance to extend the lead in the bottom of the sixth, but Morentson was tagged out at home. Luckily that run did not matter as the Bulldogs held the Panthers to just one run, winning 4-1.

Colfax would then take on the Northwest Christian Crusaders in a game which saw the winner head to the state tournament.

This game had everything, a 30-minute thunderstorm delay, four extra innings, and a walk-off victory for the Crusaders as Ryan Waters flipped over the catcher to reach home safely and win the game 2-1.

Kaden Van Dyke pitched eight innings for the Crusaders where he allowed nine hits for one run. He walked four batters and struck out another two.

JP Wigen pitched eight innings for the Bulldogs where he allowed only one run on four hits. He struck out seven batters in the game as well.

The first score of the game came in the bottom of the fourth from the Crusaders, who took the 1-0 lead. Colfax would answer in the top of the sixth with an RBI from Peterson, he would go 4-5 on the day.

After seven innings the game was tied 1-1 so they went to extra innings. After nine there was a 30-minute weather delay due to thunderstorms in the Medical Lake, Washington area.

After the delay both teams went without a winning run until the bottom of the 11th. Waters hit one of his two triples in the game to put the winning run on third with no outs. He would then score as he flipped over the Colfax catcher and touched home safely, dramatically sending the Crusaders to the state playoffs, and sent the Bulldogs home.