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Local Report Beetles blank Blue
Devils Nothing like back-to-back shutouts to help a team's earned-run average. Yakima Pepsi Beetles' starters Dustin Oftedal and Andrew Clauson combined with Kevin Komstadius and Luke Zirkle to blank the Spokane Blue Devils 4-0, 6-0 in Senior Legion non-league play Saturday at Parker Field. The Beetles (3-0) will open league play next Friday at Walla Walla. In addition to his relief work in the opener, Komstadius was 2-for-3 with an RBI double and Mark Lizama was 2-for-3 with two runs and an RBI. In the second game, Yakima plated all six runs in the third inning. Casey Day and Paul DiPietro were both 2-for-4 with an RBI. Clauson and Zirkle combined for a two-hitter with five strikeouts.
Spokane 000 000 0 — 0 8 4 Yakima 002 101 x — 4 8 1 Cooper, Reitmeier (6) and Hustad; Oftedal, Komstadius (6) and Gordon. Highlights: Dustin Oftedal 5i, 0 BB; Kevin Komstadius 2-3, 2b, RBI; Mark Lizama 2-3, RBI, SB, 2 runs. Game 2 Spokane 000 000 0 — 0 2 5 Yakima 006 000 x — 6 6 0 Erickson, O'Conner (6) and Dominguez; Clauson, Zirkle (5) and Lybeck. Highlights: Andrew Clauson 2h, 4K; Luke Zirkle 0h, 1K; Casey Day 2-4, RBI, 2b, run; Paul DiPietro 2-4, RBI, run; Lizama 1-2, SB.
SELAH — It's only three games into the season, but the Yakima Valley Pepsi Pak already has a reputation for drama. A day after a four-run rally resulted in a 10-9 victory over Spokane, Yakima Valley pulled out two more one-run victories in its final at-bat Saturday against Olympia at Carlon Park. In the opener, the Pak tallied three runs in the bottom of the seventh for a 5-4 win. Kevin Walkenhauer's RBI single tied the game and Scott Cooper later scored the winner on a throwing error. Yakima Valley prevailed in the nightcap 6-5 in eight innings as Chris Demond's two-out single down the leftfield line plated Eric Sorensen for the winner. Sorensen was 3-for-3 and teammate Kevin Allan drove in three runs. The Pak (3-0) opens Central Washington League play today at Walla Walla starting at 1 p.m. Game 1 Olympia 020 100 1 — 4 10 2 Yakima Valley 020 000 3 — 5 6 1 Northrup, Probert (7) and Schuster; Lounsbury and Schlieman. Highlights: Brennan Lounsbury (YV) CG, 4 K. Game 2 Olympia 004 000 10 — 5 7 1 Yakima Valley 020 003 01 — 6 9 2 Long, Fisher (6), Probert (6) and Munson; Sorensen, Welton (7), Wagar (8) and Fortenberry. Highlights: Eric Sorensen (YV) 3-3, 2b; Kevin Allan (YV) 2-3, 3b, 3 RBI. _____________________________________________________________________________ Beetles split with Walla Walla YAKIMA HERALD-REPUBLIC WALLA WALLA — Five players had two hits apiece and Luke Zirkle pitched a complete game as the Yakima Pepsi Beetles pounded out an 11-2 victory over Walla Walla in the first game of a Senior Legion baseball doubleheader on Friday. The Beetles (1-1, 4-1), who dropped the nightcap 9-7, host the Kennewick Bandits next Tuesday. Elliot Hartley drove in three runs for Yakima in the opener, and Richie Allen and Sabe Martinez had two RBI apiece. Martinez was 4-for-8 for the day. Zirkle didn't allow a run after the second inning and scattered seven hits as Walla Walla (5-1) took its first loss of the season. In other Central Washington League play Friday, the Kennewick Bandits opened with a 6-4, 3-2 sweep over the Pasco Sun Devils. Game 1 Yakima 013 115 0 — 11 11 0 Walla Walla 020 000 0 — 2 7 5 Zirkle and Gordon; Eastman, Radwohl (6) and Cerna. Yakima highlights: Richie Allen 2-5, 2 RBI; Bo Lybeck 2-4, 2 runs, 2b; Kevin Komstadius 2-5, 2 runs; Sabe Martinez 2-5, 3 runs, 2 RBI; Elliot Hartley 2-5, 3 RBI. Game 2 Yakima 020 022 1 — 7 7 1 Walla Walla 102 510 x — 9 8 3 Clauson, Bird (4), Livingston (6) and Lybeck; Jordan, Cerna (5), Coyle (7) and Ruvalcaba. Yakima highlights: Paul DiPietro 2-3, 2 runs; Martinez 2-3. ________________________________________________________________________________________ Senior
Legion — Beetles get a Kraft-y split The neophyte closer held on to secure the first win of a Central
Washington Legion doubleheader with the Kennewick Bandits on
Tuesday at Parker Field. After the The Bandits might have had a chance at the sweep if Kraft hadn't overcome his nerves. "I got a little anxious because this is the first league game I've pitched," Kraft said. "Once I got going and relaxed, I was fine; it just took a while." Protecting a two-run lead after starter Dustin Oftedal had scattered four runs and six hits in six innings of work, Kraft didn't do much to calm those butterflies early. He hit the first Bandit batter; the second laced a single to center to put two runners on with no outs. His pulse relaxed after a popped-up sacrifice bunt and a fly ball to center gave him two outs and left runners on first and third. Then Matt Tanneberg got it racing again with an RBI double off the wall in left field. So on the verge of blowing his first save with the game-tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position, Kraft got a visit on the mound from pitching coach Darren Cooper. The advice was simple — take a breath, relax and keep the ball down. Kraft followed all three nuggets of wisdom, getting Kennewick's Donnie Hansen to ground back to him for an easy third out. And while the Eisenhower pitcher knew how bad his nine teammates from Davis wanted to beat rival Kennewick and the Southridge players that make up its roster, he wanted the win just as bad. Davis and Southridge fought for the top spot in the Big Nine baseball standings all spring, but the Cadets aren't big fans of the Suns either. The five Ike players on the Beetle roster are quite familiar with any players who donned Suns jerseys this year. "Oh it's just as much," Kraft said of the Ike-Southridge rivalry. "We might not be battling them for the league, but there are issues between the players. It's not as big as Ike-Davis, but it's a close second." Oftedal, a Davis grad, got off to a shaky start with two walks and a fielding error helping Kennewick score two runs to start the first. The top of the Yakima order responded with three straight singles combined with a fielding error to tie the game right back up, and Bo Lybeck knocked an RBI single to left-center field for a 3-2 lead. Yakima Beetle first baseman, Luke Zirkle, collides with Kennewick's
Matt Tenneberg, while going for the ball in the top of the fourth
inning at Parker Field Tuesday, June 13, 2006. "It got me more focused when they brought those runs in," Oftedal said. "It allowed me to be more comfortable and to work more inside." The top of the order — Richie Allen, Paul DiPietro and Casey Day — made sure its starter had enough offense for the win. They all scored two runs each with Day finishing 2-for-2 with an RBI and Allen batting 2-for-3. Saby Martinez knocked in what ended up being the game-winning run with a single to left to score Day from second in the bottom of the fifth. "We got some key knocks and scored early and seized the opportunity to get the momentum throughout," said Yakima coach Ryan Froula, whose team is 5-2 overall and 2-2 in league. "They tried to steal it back, but we had some quality pitching and got guys out." In the second game, the scored was tied at 2-2 until the Bandits (1-1 in league) scored three runs in the top of the seventh. With runners on second and third, Sean Sloppy doubled to score both runs and moved to third when the Beetles threw home. He scored on Ryon Lechelt's sacrifice fly.
Kennewick 200 002 1 — 5 8 1 Yakima 320 010 x — 6 10 2 Jordan Dallas, B.J. Fox (6) and Sean Sloppy; Dustin Oftedal, Justin Kraft (7) and Bo Lybeck. Highlights: Devon Bouvier (K) 2-3, RBI, R; Richie Allen (Y) 2-3, 2 R; Casey Day (Y) 2-2, RBI, 2 R; Bo Lybeck (Y) 2-3, RBI. Game 2 Kennewick 020 000 3 — 5 8 1 Yakima 002 000 0 — 2 6 2 Jordan Reeder and Sloppy; Chase Livingston, Paul DiPietro (7) and Brad Gordon, Lybeck (7). Highlights: Alex Milden (Y) 2-4, 2b; Day (Y) 1-3, 2b. ________________________________________________________________________________ Clauson pitches Beetles
to split KENNEWICK — Andrew Clauson pitched a two-hitter and struck
out 14 as the Yakima Beetles beat Kennewick Clauson walked only two as the Beetles, splitting with Kennewick for the second straight night, improved to 3-3 in league play and 6-3 overall. The Bandits won the opener 8-7. With the second game tied 1-1 after five innings, Yakima erupted for six runs in the top of the sixth. Alex Milden hit a two-run homer, after which Richie Allen hammered a grand slam. The Beetles had taken a 7-2 lead into the bottom of the sixth in the first game, with Casey Day, Bo Lybeck and Kevin Komstadius each homering. Day had a solo shot in the third, Komstadius a solo blast in the fourth and Lybeck a two-run blow in the fifth. Milden was 2-for-3 in the first game and Paul DiPietro was 2-for-4 in the second. Next up for the Beetles is the Haggert Memorial Tournament, in which they open at 2:30 p.m. Friday against Vancouver at Carlon Park in Selah, then move to Parker Field for a 7 p.m. game against Tacoma. Game 1 Yakima 011 131 0 — 7 8 2 Kennewick 002 006 x — 8 7 1 Zirkle, Bird (6) and Lybeck; Johnson, Fox (6) and Lechelt, Sloppy (7). Highlights: Casey Day (Y) HR, 2 RBI; Bo Lybeck (Y) HR, 2 RBI; Kevin Komstadius (Y) 2-4, HR; Alex Milden (Y) 2-3. Game 2 Yakima 001 006 0 — 7 6 1 Kennewick 000 100 0 — 1 2 0 Clauson and Lybeck; Ritchie, Lechelt (6), Mattair (7) and Sloppy. Highlights: Alex Milden (Y) HR, 2 RBI; Richie Allen (Y) grand slam; Paul DiPietro (Y) 2-4. _____________________________________________________________________ YAKIMA PEPSI BEETLES 6, TACOMA 5: At Parker Field, Saby Martinez helped the Beetles get enough offense for the win and then closed the deal on the mound. Martinez finished 2-for-3 with two triples — the second a two-RBI shot in the bottom of the fifth to tie the game at two — to help Yakima rally against Tacoma. He then pitched a scoreless seventh to close out the victory as the Beetles improve to 7-3 overall on the season. A heads-up play on the base paths scored Yakima's game-winning run. With Justin Kraft on third and Richie Allen on first, coach Ryan Froula called a first-and-third play that sent the speedy Allen toward second. Allen got caught in a rundown — not Froula's original plan — but stayed alive long enough to allow Kraft to score from third. Casey Day, Allen and Kraft all finished 2-for-3 on the day with Allen knocking in two runs.
Yakima d. Vancouver by forfeit. Game 3 Yakima 6, Tacoma 5 (At Parker Field) Tacoma 210 011 0 — 5 11 0 Yakima 010 221 x — 6 13 3 Greg and John; Pitt, Komstadius (4) and Martinez (7) and Gordon. Highlights: Justin Kraft (Y) 2-3; Richie Allen (Y) 2-3 2 RBI; Casey Day (Y) 2-3, R; Saby Martinez (Y) S, 2-3, 2 3B, 2 RBI. ___________________________________________________________________________________
And once again the biggest trophy came down to two neighbors — the Pak and the Yakima Pepsi Beetles. Yakima Valley outslugged its rival 11-8 to win a third straight Hagert championship in Senior Legion baseball action Sunday at Carlon Park. All three of the wins have been against the Beetles. "I don't know how many years we've been it this and it's us and them in the final," Yakima coach Ryan Froula said. "Every year is a battle." This year being no different, even though Froula saved the top of his rotation for today's Central Washington League doubleheader against Walla Walla at Parker Field, and his counterpart, Pak coach Mike Archer, wanted his team to prime for its annual trip to Reno, Nev., this week. "You try to downplay the game a little bit, but it's big for the kids and big for the fans," Archer said. Big in its offensive numbers, too. Although it didn't quite match the 23-13 slugfest of a year ago, the sizable Father's Day crowd was treated to plenty of offense. The teams combined for 25 hits — eight players with more than one — and both benefited from three-run homers. In the meantime, the Pak got just enough pitching in the gutsy 4 1/3 innings of winning pitcher Brennan Lounsbury and the five outs Kevin Walkenhauer recorded for the save. Yakima Valley's Andy Layman opened the scoring in the bottom of the first with an RBI single to score Walkenhauer, who had reached on an infield hit two batters before. The Beetles (8-4) answered in the second inning as Luke Zirkle singled and eventually scored on an error. Yakima thought it had added another run on Mark Lizama's long fly ball to left field, but Scott Cooper hauled it in against the wall and doubled up Yakima's Kevin Komstadius, who had taken off from second base without tagging. Froula argued the catch to no avail. The lead bounced back and forth as the Pak notched two runs in the bottom of the second on Brooks Archer's two-run single beyond the reach of Beetles third baseman Casey Day. Yakima answered with a four-run third — three of them coming on Zirkle's home run to right field for a 5-3 edge. Yakima Valley went on top for good with six runs in the bottom of third. Kevin Allan had the big blow with a three-run shot of his own to left, and Walkenhauer added a two-run triple for a 9-5 lead. The Beetles would get within a run by scoring two in the fifth and another in the sixth before Walkenhauer retired five of the six batters he faced to end the game. "On my off days, I'm the closer, so it was in the back of my mind," Walkenhauer said of his appearance. Yakima Valley added a pair of insurance runs in the sixth on RBI singles by Brandon Jewett and Chris Demond. Jewett had three hits and two RBI, and Layman totaled three hits and two runs. Walkenhauer, Tyler Schlieman and Demon each had a pair of hits. "The kids have been working in the cages and they're starting to get it," Archer said. Said Walkenhauer: "We got a lot of hits (this weekend), hopefully that carries over to the Reno tournament." The Beetles were led by Day and Zirkle's three hits apiece. Day drove in a run and Zirkle added an RBI double. Komstadius also had two hits. "We've struggled much of the season putting up hits," Froula said. "The last three or four games we've put up double-digit hits." In earlier action Sunday, Yakima's Justin Kraft pitched the Beetles into the title game with a five-inning four-hitter as the Yakima routed Whatcom County 9-0. Saby Martinez keyed a seven-run fourth for the Beetles with a grand slam and Paul DiPietro was 3-for-3, drove in two runs and scored a pair as well. Kraft struck out five and walked just one. Whatcom bounced back to thump Tacoma 11-0 for third place and Coyote Baseball beat Vancouver 8-3 for fifth.
Yakima 014 021 0 — 8 12 1 Yakima Valley 126 002 x — 11 14 3 DiPietro, Bird (4), Martinez (6) and Gordon; Lounsbury, Welton (5), Walkenhauer (7) and Schlieman. Highlights: Casey Day (Y) 3-4, RBI; Luke Zirkle (Y) 3-4, 3-run HR, RBI 2B; Kevin Komstadius (Y) 2-4, RBI. Kevin Walkenhauer (YV) 2-4, 2-run 3B, 2 runs; Eric Sorensen (YV) 2 runs, 2B; Andy Layman (YV) 3-4, 2 runs, RBI; Brandon Jewett (YV) 3-4, 2 RBI, 1 run; Kevin Allan (YV) 2-3, 3-run HR, 2 runs; Tyler Schlieman (YV) 2 runs; Chris Demond (YV) 2-3, RBI, run.
Whatcom County 000 00 — 0 4 5 Yakima 002 7X — 9 9 0 Locker and Slesk; Kraft and Lybeck. Highlights: Saby Martinez (Y) 2-3, grand slam; Paul DiPietro
(Y) 3-3, 2 RBI, 2 runs; Richie Allen (Y) 2-3, RBI, 2 runs; Justin
Kraft (Y) 5 Ks, 1 BB. DiPietro, Milden
help key Beetle sweep Paul DiPietro has been hitting better than .400 for most of the Yakima Beetles' season, and teammate Alex Milden hasn't been far behind. And those two kept right on swinging hot bats on Monday night as the Beetles swept a pair of Central Washington League Senior Legion games from Walla Walla. Milden drove in four runs with a double and a single in Yakima's 12-2 victory in the opener and also had a pair of hits in the 10-4 nightcap. DiPietro batted 5-for-8 in the two games, driving in three runs. "Both Alex Milden and Paul DiPietro have been having good years," Beetles coach Ryan Froula said after his team upped their record to 5-3 in league play and 10-4 overall. "They've been the most consistent in their swing and at-bats and they've been playing very well — both offensively and defensively. Now if we can just get a little more consistency from some of the other guys in the middle of our lineup, we'll be all right." Dustin Oftedal went the distance on the mound for Yakima in the first game, giving up four hits in six innings before the game ended on the 10-run rule. He did "a great job of keeping them off balance," Froula said, with his fastball and changeup. Yakima will play a road game Wednesday against the Spokane Blue Devils, then continue east into Idaho for a Thursday-through-Sunday tournament in Lewiston, the Dwight Church Memorial Tournament.
Walla Walla 100 010 — 2 4 2 Yakima 203 304 — 12 11 0 Garcia, Grodwohl (4), Jordan (6) and Ruvalcaba; Oftedal and Lybeck. Highlights: Richie Allen (Y) 2-5; Paul DiPietro (Y) 2-4, RBI; Bo Lybeck 2-3, 2 runs; Alex Milden 2-2, 2b, 4 RBI; Sabi Martinez 1-4, 2b, 3 RBI; Dustin Oftedal 6 IP, 0 K, 2 BB. ________________________________________________________________________________________ Firecracker Tournament
— Beetles Stun Klamath Falls With every reason to lose on Thursday, the Yakima Valley Pepsi Pak instead enjoyed its best day of the season. After losing six straight games in Reno and not returning to the Valley until early in the morning Thursday, the weary Pak got rejuvenated in a hurry and humbled Bellevue Honda 18-2 in the 25th annual Firecracker tournament at Parker Field. The five-game slate ended with a thriller as the host Yakima Pepsi Beetles rallied with five runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to knock off Klamath Falls 7-6. Yakima Valley's 18 runs and 19 hits were season highs in the five-inning game, which ended with a seven-run outburst. The Pak (13-12) got rolling in the second inning when 13 batters produced eight runs. Scott Cooper, Brooks Archer, Andy Layman and Nic Cawley-Murphree each had three hits, and Eric Sorensen and Cawley-Murphree drove in three runs apiece. Starter Derek Welton didn't allow a hit in the first three innings and he and Wacey Hayes combined on a three-hitter. After its rough tour in Reno, the Pak flew into Seattle late Wednesday and returned to the Valley at around 2 a.m. Thursday. Bellevue Honda, last year's Firecracker runner-up, also lost to the Spokane Blue Devils 13-7 on Thursday to start the tourney a surprising 0-2. The Beetles (18-7) trailed 5-0 after five innings and 6-2 heading into the bottom of the seventh and were getting handled by Klamath Falls starter James Nygren. But Yakima took advantage of three walks and an error to pull within 6-4, then Alex Milden delivered a two-out, three-run double to stun the Falcons. Milden, the leftfielder, finished 2-for-4 with four RBI, and Luke Zirkle was 2-for-3 with two RBI. The Beetles are 2-0 in Division A and play the Glacier Twins from Whitefish, Mont., today at 7:30 p.m. In Thursday's opener, the Beetles Alumni defeated Spokane 5-2 as 39-year-old Darren Cooper, Yakima's pitching coach, threw a five-hit complete game. Yakima Valley and Medford are 1-0 in Division B. The Pak face Spokane today at noon.
Division A: Yakima Pepsi Beetles 2-0, Yakima Beetles Alumni 1-1, Klamath Falls Falcons 0-1, Whitefish Glacier Twins 0-1. Division B: Yakima Valley Pepsi Pak 1-0, Medford Mustangs 1-0, Spokane Blue Devils 1-1, Bellevue Honda 0-2.
Bellevue Honda 000 20 — 2 3 3 Yakima Valley 080 37 — 18 19 1 Allen, Kirschner (5) and Galland; Welton, Hayes (5) and Schlieman. Yakima Valley highlights: Scott Cooper 3-5, 2 RBI; Brooks Archer 3-3, 3 runs; Kevin Walkenhauer 2-3, 3b, RBI; Eric Sorensen 2b, 3 RBI; Andy Layman 3-4, 2 RBI; Kevin Allan 2 RBI; Tyler Schlieman 2-4; Nic Cawley-Murphree 3-3, 3 RBI.
Klamath Falls 003 200 1 — 6 8 2 Yakima 000 002 5 — 7 9 2 Nygren, Barber (7) and Conner; Livingston and Lybeck. Highlights: Alex Milden (Y) 2-3, 4 RBI; Richie Allen (Y) 2-4;
Luke Zirkle (Y) 2-3, 2 RBI; Tyler McGovern (KF) 3-4, 2 2b, 3b,
3 RBI. Game 2 Walla Walla 200 101 0 — 4 8 2 Yakima 001 504 x — 10 13 2 Tompkins, Himmelberger (6) and Cerna; Livingston, Clauson (5) and Lybeck. Highlights: Jode Coil (WW) 4-4, 3 runs; Paul DiPietro (Y) 3-4, 2b, 2 RBI; Luke Zirkle (Y) 2-4, 4 RBI, 3-run double in 6th; Alex Milden (Y) 2-4, 2b; Bo Lybeck (Y) 1-4, RBI; Richie Allen (Y) 1-4, 2b, RBI; Chase Livingston (Y) 4 IP, 6 H, 3 K, 4 BB; Andrew Clauson (Y) 3 IP, 2 H. Printable Version Beetles earn
two tourney wins LEWISTON, Idaho — Complete-game shutouts from Andrew Clauson and Chase Livingston helped the Yakima Pepsi Beetles rebound with two wins in the Dwight Church Memorial Tournament on Friday. Clauson faced only three hitters over the minimum as he scattered two hits, struck out eight and walked none in an 8-0 victory against Boise. Livingston allowed only five hits, struck out seven and walked one as the Beetles beat Sandpoint (Idaho) 10-0 in five innings. Casey Day led the offense against Boise with two, two-run doubles. Against Sandpoint Richie Allen was 3-for-4 with two RBI, Bo Lybeck drove in three runs with a double and Brad Gordon was 3-for-3 with two RBI and two runs. Yakima (12-5 overall, 2-1 at the tourney) will meet Spokane at 10 a.m. today and will take on Lewiston at 4 p.m. Sunday to close out pool play. Yakima 8, Boise 0 Boise 000 000 0 — 0 2 2 Yakima 201 410 x — 8 11 1 ________________________________________________________________________________________ Firecracker Tournament — Medford pounds Yakima Valley Faced with back-to-back games on Saturday in the 25th annual Firecracker tournament, the Medford Mustangs obviously knew where to focus most of their attention. After quiet bats resulted in an inconsequential 4-3 loss to Spokane, Medford then muscled up in the afternoon with 18 hits and defeated the Yakima Valley Pepsi Pak 14-4 for a berth in today's championship game. The host Yakima Pepsi Beetles (20-7), who clinched their title spot on Friday night and added an 11-3 win over Bellevue Honda in Saturday's nightcap, will play Medford (23-2) today at Parker Field at 3 p.m. Yakima Valley (15-13), which bounced back for a 10-4 victory over Klamath Falls on Saturday, will take on those same Falcons at noon for third and fourth place today. The Mustangs came to Yakima having lost only once in 21 outings, and after posting wins of 12-1 and 12-4 they appeared to be the team to beat. But after Medford's setback to Spokane, and considering how the Pak's offense had perked up with tournament wins of 18-2 and 12-4, the chances of an all-local championship game appeared much brighter. And for four innings Saturday, there was still a good chance because the Mustangs were only up by a run, 5-4. Then came Medford's monster inning — the bottom of the fifth. Against three different pitchers, the Oregon team pounded out nine runs on nine hits as 13 batters came to the plate. When Abe Eubank, who was 3-for-4 with four RBI, scored on a wild pitch with two outs the game ended because of the 10-run rule. After that humbling, the Pak responded well as Justin Leppa pitched a complete game and catcher John Fortenberry went 4-for-4 in the win over Klamath Falls. Up 4-2, the Pak tacked on four more runs in the sixth thanks mostly to Kevin Allan's three-run triple. Medford and Yakima Valley both finished Division B play at 3-1 but the Mustangs' head-to-head win determined the championship seeding. The Beetles were the lone unbeaten team in pool play, finishing Division A with a 4-0 mark. Yakima jumped on winless Bellevue for 10 runs in the first three innings. Luke Zirkle was 3-for-4 with a triple and two RBI, and starter Chris Bird allowed only two hits in four innings. The Beetles' Alumni beat Whitefish, Mont., 10-3 on Saturday to finish 2-2 but they are not eligible for today's finals. Whitefish will play Spokane at 9 a.m. for fifth and sixth.
Yakima Valley 121 00 — 4 5 2 Medford 320 09 — 14 18 2 Lounsbury, Cooper (5), Bailes (5) and Schlieman; Suarez and Koziol. Highlights: Abe Eubank (M) 3-4, 2 runs, 4 RBI; Justin Meyer (M) 3-4, 2b; Logan Boyd (M) 2-3, 2b, 3 runs, 3 RBI; Kevin Walkenhauer (YV) 2-3, 2 runs.
Yakima Valley 001 034 2 — 10 13 1 Klamath Falls 010 010 2 — 4 8 2 Leppa and Fortenberry; McGoveran, Stratton (5) and Dean. Highlights: Kevin Allan (YV) 2-3, 4 RBI; John Fortenberry (YV) 4-4, 2 RBI; Brooks Archer (YV) 2-4; Tyler McGoveran (KF) 2-4, 2 RBI.
Bellevue Honda 020 010 0 — 3 7 5 Yakima 415 001 x — 11 11 1 Smith, Allen (4) and Galland; Bird, Pitt (5) and Lybeck. Highlights: Luke Zirkle (Y) 3-4, 3b, 2 RBI; Richie Allen (Y)
2-5, 2 runs; Elliot Hartley (Y) 2-2, RBI; Chris Bird (Y) 4 IP,
2h, 3 K, 1 ER. Gregory, McGrady (5) and Evanovich; Clauson and Lybeck. Highlights: Andrew Clauson (Y) 8 K, 0 BB; Paul DiPietro (Y) 2-4, 2 R; Casey Day (Y) 2-4, 2b, 4 RBI; Luke Zirkle (Y) 2-4, Mark Lizama (Y) 2-3, 2b. Yakima 10, Sandpoint 0 Sand Point 000 00 — 0 5 1 Yakima 022 33 — 10 11 1 Podstra, Dorazi (4) and Turner; Livingston and Gordon. Highlights: Chase Livingston (Y) 7 K, 1 BB; Richie Allen (Y) 3-4, 2 RBI; Bo Lybeck (Y) 3 RBI, 2b; Brad Gordon (Y) 3-3, 2 RBI, 2 R. _______________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________ Beetles drop to .500 in Lewiston
tournament LEWISTON, Idaho — A late breakdown by the bullpen Saturday dropped the Yakima Pepsi Beetles back to .500 in the Dwight Church Memorial Senior Legion baseball tournament. The Spokane Bandits took advantage of two walks, a hit batter and two singles to score three times in the bottom of the seventh and rally for an 8-7 victory against Yakima. Yakima (12-6) fell to 2-2 in the tournament and will finish up with a game against host Lewiston this afternoon. Saturday's loss ended any chance the Beetles had of making it into tonight's championship game. Yakima's offense was solid against Spokane, led by Bo Lybeck, who went 3-for-4. Mark Lizama and Casey Day were both 2-for-3 with an RBI, and Saby Martinez had two hits, scored twice and stole two bases.
Spokane 300 113 x — 8 8 2 Oftedal, Komstadius (5), Pitt (6) and Lybeck; Burger, Burland (6) and Smith. Highlights: Mark Lizama (Y) 2-3, rbi; Casey Day (Y) 2-3, rbi; Bo Lybeck (Y) 3-4, rbi; Sabi Martinez (Y) 2-4, 2 run, 2 sb. Beetles' comeback falls short LEWISTON, Idaho — Alex Milden finished 4-for-5 with four RBI and two runs scored, but the Yakima Pepsi Beetles left the game-tying and go-ahead runs on base to fall 12-11 to the Lewiston Twins on Sunday. With the loss Yakima closed out the Dwight Church Memorial Tournament at 2-3 and are now 14-7 overall. Brad Gordon was 3-for-4 with three runs scored, and Bo Lybeck and Elliot Hartley had multiple-hit games with three RBI and two runs, respectively. The Beetles now prepare to see some familiar faces when they meet a Yakima Alumni team at 7 p.m. Wednesday to start this year's Firecracker Fourth of July Tournament. The alumni team — made up of mostly recent Beetle players — replaced the Australia team that dropped out of the tourney.
Yakima 003 203 3 — 11 13 2 Rohde, Reiner (5), Snyder (6), Carson (7) and George; Kraft, Pitt (3), Bird (7) and Gordon. ________________________________________________________________________________________ Allen leads
Beetles to sweep of Pasco PASCO — Richie Allen was just as hot as the afternoon sun Tuesday. The Yakima Pepsi Beetles' star outfielder was 7-for-9 with two doubles, a solo home run and six runs scored to lead his team to an 11-1, 15-5 sweep over the Pasco Sun Devils. Andrew Clauson and Luke Zirkle pitched back-to-back complete games with a combined 12 strikeouts. Casey Day and Alex Milden had two multiple-hit games, and Kevin Komstadius clubbed a two-run homer in the second game. After considerable debate and confusion between Central Washington League officials, Pasco's games apparently do count in the league standings despite the Sun Devils being on probation. Yakima improves to 7-3 in league and 16-7 overall. The Beetles will open their 25th annual Firecracker tournament today at 7 p.m. against the Beetles Alumni. The eight-team tourney will have its first full day on Thursday with five games.
Yakima 1(10)0 00 — 11 12 2 Pasco 010 00 — 1 3 3 Clauson and Lybeck; King, Rickard (3) and Knutson. Highlights: Andrew Clauson (Y) 8 K, 0 BB; Richie Allen 3-4, 3 runs, RBI, 2b; Casey Day 2-2, 2 RBI, 2b; Alex Milden 2-3, RBI, run; Saby Martinez 2-3, 2 runs, RBI, sb. Game 2 Yakima 031 440 3 — 15 17 3 Pasco 210 002 0 — 5 5 3 Zirkle and Gordon; Perry, Townsend (6) and Seaman. Highlights: Luke Zirkle 4 K, 2 BB; Allen 4-5, 3 runs, RBI, HR, 2b; Paul DiPietro 3-4, 2 RBI, 2 runs; Day 2-3, 2b, RBI, 3 runs; Kevin Komstadius 2-4, 2-run HR; Milden 2-5, 2 RBI, run, 2b; Brad Gordon 2-4, run.
_________________________________________________________________________________ Beetles open
Firecracker Tournament with victory The Yakima Pepsi Beetles have brought their bats to the 25th annual Firecracker tournament. Kevin Komstadius clubbed a three-run home run and Luke Zirkle went 3-for-3 has the host team piled up 13 hits en route to an 11-2 victory over the Beetles Alumni at Parker Field. Wednesday's single game opened the five-day, eight-team tourney, which concludes Sunday with three placing games. With their eighth win in their last 11 games, the Beetles (17-7) broke open a 2-2 game with five runs in the fourth inning. Casey Day contributed a two-run single before Komstadius unloaded with his three-run shot. Yakima added four more runs in the fifth inning. Komstadius finished 2-for-4 with four RBI, and Day collected three RBI. Starting pitcher Dustin Oftedal went five innings and Jason Pitt finished with two scoreless innings. The Beetles Alumni, who replaced an Australian team in the original lineup, kept pace with the youngsters for three innings thanks to effective pitching by Chris Zier. Jaime Cortez, who caught the entire game for the Alumni, was 2-for-3. Although he would prefer a six-team format like last year, Yakima coach Ryan Froula expanded the tournament to eight teams because of high interest. The Klamath Falls Falcons, who captured the 2003 Firecracker title, are in Division A with the two Yakima teams and the Glacier Twins from Whitefish, Mont. Bellevue Honda, last year's Firecracker runner-up to Lakeside Recovery, headlines Division B. The Yakima Valley Pepsi Pak will join Bellevue in Division B with the Medford Mustangs from Oregon and the Spokane Blue Devils. The Pak (12-12) come in on a six-game losing streak, which followed a run of five straight wins. Today's 9:30 a.m. opener between the Beetles Alumni and Spokane will see Darren Cooper, Yakima's current pitching coach, start for the Alumni.
Yakima Beetles 110 540 x — 11 13 0 Zier, Garcia (4), Stotz (6) and Cortez; Oftedal, Pitt (6) and Gordon, Lybeck (6). Highlights: Jaime Cortez (YA) 2-3; Jake Harwood (YA) 1-2, 3b, RBI; Justin Clements (YA) 1-2, run; Alex Johnson (YA) 1-2, run; Kevin Komstadius (Y) 2-4, 3-run HR, 4 RBI; Mark Lizama (Y) 2-3, 2 runs; Casey Day (Y) 2-3, 3 RBI; Luke Zirkle (Y) 3-3, run, sb; Dustin Oftedal (Y) 5i, 2K, 1 BB; Jason Pitt (Y) 2i, 0 runs, 1 K.
Division A: Yakima Pepsi Beetles, Yakima Beetles Alumni, Klamath Falls Falcons, Whitefish Glacier Twins. Division B: Yakima Valley Pepsi Pak, Bellevue Honda, Medford Mustangs, Spokane Blue Devils. Today's games Spokane vs. Yakima Alumni, 9:30 a.m.; Medford vs. Whitefish, noon; Spokane vs. Bellevue Honda, 2:30 p.m.; Yakima Valley vs. Bellevue Honda, 5 p.m.; Yakima vs. Klamath Falls, 7:30 p.m. Friday's games Bellevue Honda vs. Medford, 9:30 a.m.; Yakima Valley vs. Spokane, noon; Klamath Falls vs. Yakima Alumni, 2:30 p.m.; Klamath Falls vs. Whitefish, 5 p.m.; Yakima vs. Whitefish, 7:30 p.m. Saturday's games Whitefish vs. Yakima Alumni, 9:30 a.m.; Spokane vs. Medford, noon; Yakima Valley vs. Medford, 2:30 p.m.; Yakima Valley vs. Klamath Falls, 5 p.m.; Yakima vs. Bellevue Honda, 7:30 p.m. Sunday's games 5th-6th place, 9 a.m.; 3rd-4th place, noon; Championship, 3 p.m. ______________________________________________________________________________________ Offensive fireworks aplenty
for Beetles
Yakima's Casey Day (25) congratulates Luke Zirkle after Zirkle
scored in the second inning Friday against Whitefish, Mont.,
in the Firecracker Tournament at Parker Field. That's what 12 runs in the bottom of the first inning — strung
together by his fellow Yakima Pepsi Beetles on "After the first inning it, was all fastballs," said Kraft, who went all five innings to improve to 4-0 on the season, allowing five Whitefish hits. "I was just trying to get ahead and throw strikes and let the defense play behind me." SARA GETTYS/Yakima Herald-Republic Casey Day scores during Yakima's 12-run first inning against
Whitefish on Friday. Most of those came early with Whitefish starter Byron Whitcomb
scuffling and the defense committing three errors. He threw
26 pitches, faced Alex Milden and Paul DiPietro both had two-RBI doubles in the first inning, and Brad Gordon, Elliot Hartley, Kevin Komstadius and Casey Day all knocked in runs in the frame. This was the hitting in bunches that this powerful lineup has expected, but not produced very often, all season. "Everyone was just seeing the ball and we finally all broke out," said Milden, who finished 2-for-3 with three RBI and two runs scored. "We've been on the verge of doing it the whole season and we finally did." The hitting was so contagious — seven players had two hits — that coach Ryan Froula had troubles even slowing it down. Even one of the substituting players — many of whom are pitchers and rarely see a chance to step up to the plate for the Beetles — got into the act. Dustin Oftedal, one of Yakima's pitchers, finished 2-for-2 with an RBI and a run scored after coming in for right fielder Saby Martinez in the second inning. DiPietro, who finished 2-for-4 with two RBI and three runs scored, credited a more relaxed approach to the plate for the big night. "Each one of us has high expectations, so each one of us was trying to do too much during games," DiPietro said. "Tonight we just decided to go after the ball and we hit it one way and hit it the other and strung together plenty of hits as a team." Already guaranteed a spot in Sunday's championship game, Yakima will close out pool play against Bellevue Honda (0-3) at 7:30 p.m. tonight. So Froula again will get a chance to empty his bench, move players around the diamond and let the boys just enjoy another evening of baseball. "A lot of our pitchers tonight got an opportunity to play defense and hit who don't usually do that," Froula said. "It was a fun night."
Yakima (12)60 0x — 18 17 1 Whitcomb, Hattel (1), Cuffe (4), Krueger (4) and Caron; Kraft and Gordon. Highlights: Richie Allen (Y) 2-2, RBI, 3 R; Paul DiPietro (Y) 2-4, 2 RBI, 3 R; Casey Day (Y) 2-2, 2 RBI, 2 R; Luke Zirkle (Y) 1-1, 2b, 3 R; Kevin Komstadius (Y) 2-3, RBI, 2 R; Alex Milden 2-3, 2b, 3 RBI, 2 R; Dustin Oftedal (Y) 2-2, RBI, R; Brad Gordon (Y) 2b, 2 RBI, R; Elliot Hartley (Y) 1-2, RBI, R; Riley VanNyhuis (W) 2-2, RBI.
Yakima Valley trailed 3-2 before erupting for four runs in the fifth inning and six more in the sixth. At 2-0 in the tournament and 14-12 for the season, the Pak will play for a berth in Sunday's title game when it faces Medford, also 2-0 in Division B, today at 2:30 p.m. Yakima Valley will follow up with a 5 p.m. contest against Klamath Falls.
Yakima Valley 020 046 x — 12 13 2 Reitmeier, Swennumson (6) and Dominguez; Wager, Lounsbury (7) and Fortenberry. Highlights: Brandon Jewett (YV) 3-4, RBI; John Fortenberry (YV) 3-4, 3b, 3 RBI; Nic Cawley-Murphree (YV) 3-4, 2 RBI; Kevin Walkenhauer (YV) 1-4, 2 RBI; Eric Sorensen (YV) 2b, 2 RBI; Tim Wager (YV) 6 IP, 2 K, 2 BB. Friday's results Medford 12, Bellevue 2 Yakima Valley 12, Spokane 4 Klamath Falls 8, Yakima Alumni 5 Klamath Falls 16, Whitefish 3 Yakima 18, Whitefish 2 Today's games Whitefish vs. Yakima Alumni, 9:30 a.m. Spokane vs. Medford, noon. Yakima Valley vs. Medford, 2:30 p.m. Yakima Valley vs. Klamath Falls, 5 p.m. Yakima vs. Bellevue Honda, 7:30 p.m.
DIVISION A: Yakima Pepsi Beetles 3-0, Klamath Falls Falcons 2-1, Yakima Beetles Alumni 1-2, Whitefish Glacier Twins 0-3.
Firecracker Tournament — Medford pounds Yakima Valley Faced with back-to-back games on Saturday in the 25th annual Firecracker tournament, the Medford Mustangs obviously knew where to focus most of their attention. After quiet bats resulted in an inconsequential 4-3 loss to Spokane, Medford then muscled up in the afternoon with 18 hits and defeated the Yakima Valley Pepsi Pak 14-4 for a berth in today's championship game. The host Yakima Pepsi Beetles (20-7), who clinched their title spot on Friday night and added an 11-3 win over Bellevue Honda in Saturday's nightcap, will play Medford (23-2) today at Parker Field at 3 p.m. Yakima Valley (15-13), which bounced back for a 10-4 victory over Klamath Falls on Saturday, will take on those same Falcons at noon for third and fourth place today. The Mustangs came to Yakima having lost only once in 21 outings, and after posting wins of 12-1 and 12-4 they appeared to be the team to beat. But after Medford's setback to Spokane, and considering how the Pak's offense had perked up with tournament wins of 18-2 and 12-4, the chances of an all-local championship game appeared much brighter. And for four innings Saturday, there was still a good chance because the Mustangs were only up by a run, 5-4. Then came Medford's monster inning — the bottom of the fifth. Against three different pitchers, the Oregon team pounded out nine runs on nine hits as 13 batters came to the plate. When Abe Eubank, who was 3-for-4 with four RBI, scored on a wild pitch with two outs the game ended because of the 10-run rule. After that humbling, the Pak responded well as Justin Leppa pitched a complete game and catcher John Fortenberry went 4-for-4 in the win over Klamath Falls. Up 4-2, the Pak tacked on four more runs in the sixth thanks mostly to Kevin Allan's three-run triple. Medford and Yakima Valley both finished Division B play at 3-1 but the Mustangs' head-to-head win determined the championship seeding. The Beetles were the lone unbeaten team in pool play, finishing Division A with a 4-0 mark. Yakima jumped on winless Bellevue for 10 runs in the first three innings. Luke Zirkle was 3-for-4 with a triple and two RBI, and starter Chris Bird allowed only two hits in four innings. The Beetles' Alumni beat Whitefish, Mont., 10-3 on Saturday to finish 2-2 but they are not eligible for today's finals. Whitefish will play Spokane at 9 a.m. for fifth and sixth.
Yakima Valley 121 00 — 4 5 2 Medford 320 09 — 14 18 2 Lounsbury, Cooper (5), Bailes (5) and Schlieman; Suarez and Koziol. Highlights: Abe Eubank (M) 3-4, 2 runs, 4 RBI; Justin Meyer (M) 3-4, 2b; Logan Boyd (M) 2-3, 2b, 3 runs, 3 RBI; Kevin Walkenhauer (YV) 2-3, 2 runs.
Yakima Valley 001 034 2 — 10 13 1 Klamath Falls 010 010 2 — 4 8 2 Leppa and Fortenberry; McGoveran, Stratton (5) and Dean. Highlights: Kevin Allan (YV) 2-3, 4 RBI; John Fortenberry (YV) 4-4, 2 RBI; Brooks Archer (YV) 2-4; Tyler McGoveran (KF) 2-4, 2 RBI.
Bellevue Honda 020 010 0 — 3 7 5 Yakima 415 001 x — 11 11 1 Smith, Allen (4) and Galland; Bird, Pitt (5) and Lybeck. Highlights: Luke Zirkle (Y) 3-4, 3b, 2 RBI; Richie Allen (Y) 2-5, 2 runs; Elliot Hartley (Y) 2-2, RBI; Chris Bird (Y) 4 IP, 2h, 3 K, 1 ER. ____________________________________________________________________________________ Senior
legion — Beetles battle back, but fall to Medford
The Yakima Pepsi Beetles coach already had pulled his starting ace from the game, and moments later — when his stunned crew finally trotted off the field eight runs down — he had to give the dreaded no-hole-is-too-deep speech. "I just said, 'Look guys, it's the first inning. We're capable of coming back the way we've been hitting so just relax and go to work,'" Froula said. "I'm proud of them because they did exactly that." The resilient Beetles did indeed make a charge — two, in fact — but then finally succumbed 11-9 to the opportunistic Medford Mustangs at Parker Field in the finale to the 25th annual tourney. Andrew Clauson's early exit for Yakima was precipitated by three walks and a hit batter, all of which came around to score, and three singles. Rushed into service, Luke Zirkle came on in relief with two outs and promptly gave up a two-run double, extending Medford's margin to 8-0. But then two things happened that Froula could easily imagine. His team fought back, and Zirkle settled in. The Beetles went to work on Medford's ace, Cole Rohrbough, a lefty from Western Nevada Community College who was drafted in the 22nd round by the Atlanta Braves. With Bo Lybeck leading the way with a two-run double in the first inning and an RBI single in the second, Yakima rallied to within 8-7 in the third. Meanwhile, Zirkle followed the first-inning double by retiring seven straight. Medford, a hard-hitting team that leaves Yakima with a 24-2 record, nicked Zirkle for a run in the fourth, fifth and sixth to build the margin back to 11-7. But with one last stubborn try, the Beetles nearly stole the game in the bottom of the seventh. Paul DiPietro's RBI single and Mark Lizama's run, which followed his third hit of the day, brought the home team within 11-9 and the tying run was on second before Medford closer Ryan Odell got the final out. "We fought hard," said outfielder Richie Allen, who was named to the all-tournament team along with Zirkle, DiPietro and Alex Milden. "We had heard all about their guy (Rohrbough), but we hit him pretty good. We got ourselves back in it and was just a hit away. It was still a good game for us." Lybeck, Lizama and DiPietro all finished with three hits as the Beetles, who had won six straight, moved to 20-8 heading into today's league doubleheader against Pasco. "It was just one of those days for Andrew," Froula said. "He's still the man out there, but it can happen to anybody. That's baseball. "What I like is how we've turned the corner offensively — we swung the bats well all week," he added. "To come back from 8-0 down against a 24-2 team, that's a big effort."
Kevin Walkenhauer was 4-for-4 for the Pak (15-14), and Scott Cooper and Brooks Archer combined for six hits and six RBI. YV's John Fortenberry was named to the all-tournament team.
Medford 800 111 0 — 11 12 3 Yakima 322 000 2 — 9 13 2 Rohrbough, Odell (5) and Meyer; Clauson, Zirkle (1) and Lybeck. Highlights: Bo Lybeck (Y) 3-5, 2b, 3 RBI; Mark Lizama (Y) 3-4, 2 runs; Paul DiPietro (Y) 3-5, 2 RBI; Richie Allen (Y) 2-4, 2b, 2 runs, RBI; Luke Zirkle (Y) 2-4, RBI; Abe Eubank (M) 2-4, 2b, 3 RBI; Dustin Smith (M) 2-3, 3 runs, 2 RBI; Ryan Augino (M) 2-4, 2b, 2 RBI. Third-fourth place Klamath Falls 000 003 62 — 11 16 1 Yakima Valley 050 121 00 — 9 17 1 Hayes, Bailes (6), Walkenhauer (7) and Fortenberry; Waardenberg, Barber (8) and Dean. Highlights: Scott Cooper (YV) 3-3, 2b, 2 runs, 2 RBI; Brooks Archer (YV) 3-4, 2 runs, 4 RBI; Kevin Walkenhauer (YV) 4-4, 2b, sb, RBI; John Fortenberry (YV) 2-4, Eric Sorensen (YV) 2-3, RBI. All-tournament team Medford: Abe Eubank (most valuable player), Rohrbough (most valuable pitcher), Jared Adamson, Logan Boyd, Dustin Smith. Yakima: Richie Allen, Luke Zirkle, Paul DiPietro, Alex Milden. Klamath Falls: Tyler McGoveran. Yakima Valley: John Fortenberry. Spokane: Cody Reeves. ______________________________________________________________________________________ Beetles sweep right
by Pasco Mark Lizama strung together five straight hits between two games, and the Yakima Pepsi Beetles swept the Pasco Sun Devils in a non-league doubleheader Monday at Parker Field. Lizama went 4-for-4 with an RBI and two runs as Yakima used 17 hits to defeat Pasco 12-9 in the opener. Paul DiPietro helped blow the game open with a three-run double in the sixth and finished with four RBI. Richie Allen, Casey Day and Alex Milden all had multiple-hit games. Chase Livingston settled down Pasco's bats in the second as Yakima (22-8 overall) won 4-2. Livingston allowed only seven hits — all singles — and walked only one batter. Allen finished 2-for-4 with an RBI, and Lizama was 2-for-4 in the nightcap
Pasco 010 013 4 — 9 14 4 Yakima 003 063 x — 12 17 2 Nichols, Townsend (5) and Ruene; Oftedal, Martinez (7), Komstadius (7) and Gordon. Highlights: Richie Allen (Y) 2-5, 2 R, RBI; Paul DiPietro (Y) 3-5, 4 RBI; Casey Day (Y) 2-5, 2 RBI; Alex Milden (Y) 2-4, R; Mark Lizama (Y) 4-4, RBI, 2 R. Game 2 Pasco 000 002 0 — 2 7 2 Yakima 001 201 x — 4 8 0 Ricard and Knutsen; Livingston and Lybeck. Highlights: Allen (Y) 2-4, RBI; Lizama (Y) 2-4, Kevin Komstadius (Y) RBI; Saby Martinez (Y) RBI; DiPietro (Y) RBI. _______________________________________________________________________________________ Beetles shoot down Falcons KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. — Mark Lizama kept hitting, going 4-for-5 with two RBI and a run scored, as the Yakima Pepsi Beetles beat the Klamath Falls Falcons 10-4 in a non-league contest Tuesday at Kiger Stadium. Lizama is now 10-for-13 in the past two days. Joining him with a strong day at the plate were Saby Martinez and Elliot Hartley, who both batted 3-for-5. Martinez had three RBI and two doubles, and Hartley knocked in two runs. Luke Zirkle batted 2-for-5 with two RBI and three runs scored for the Beetles (23-8 overall). Yakima 610 000 3 — 10 16 2 Klamath Falls 101 020 0 — 4 7 2 Clauson, Pitt (3), Bird (6) and Gordon; Stratton, Bennett (3), Nygren (5) and Dean. Highlights: Mark Lizama (Y) 4-5, 2 RBI, R; Saby Martinez (Y) 3-5, 3 RBI, 2 2b, sb; Elliot Hartley (Y) 3-5, 2 RBI; Luke Zirkle 2-5, 2 RBI, 3 R, 2b. Beetles
start tournament the right way DANVILLE, Calif. — Richie Allen's two-run single in the fourth inning and a momentum-shifting double by Casey Day in the sixth helped the Yakima Beetles ride the live arm of pitcher Luke Zirkle to a 5-2 victory over Reno in the first round of the second annual "Fly With the Owl" Legion baseball tournament. The Beetles (24-8 overall) will play Merced, Calif., today at noon, followed by a game against Southside Legion of Sacramento at 3 p.m. Day's RBI double in the sixth came after Yakima's lead had been cut to 4-2, and happened moments after the Beetles had had a runner cut down at the plate. "That was a momentum switch for us. It was a big knock," Beetles coach Ryan Froula said. "Three runs (ahead) is a lot better than two going in the final inning." Zirkle scattered six hits, walked none and struck out three, pitching to only five batters over the minimum. Mark Lizama had a single, his 11th hit in his last 15 at-bats. Reno 000 002 0 — 2 6 2 Yakima 010 211 x — 5 11 0 Judd, Doerr (6) and Hill; Zirkle and Lybeck. Highlights: Luke Zirkle (Y) 7 IP, 3 K, 0 BB; Casey Day (Y) 3-3, 2b, RBI; Alex Milden (Y) 2-3, run; Richie Allen (Y) 2-4, 2 RBI; Mark Lizama (Y) 1-2, 2 runs; Kevin Komstadius (Y) RBI. _______________________________________________________________________________________
Beetles split tournament games DANVILLE, Calif. — What Yakima coach Ryan Froula called a "seventh-inning meltdown" proved costly for the Pepsi Beetles in the "Fly With the Owl" Legion baseball tournament Friday. After downing Merced, Calif., 5-2 in their first game, the Beetles yielded four seventh-inning runs and fell 6-4 to Southside Legion of Sacramento. Against Merced, Mark Lizama and Luke Zirkle each hammered two-run singles in a four-run fifth inning that erased a 2-1 deficit. Lizama finished 3-for-3 with three runs batted in and had 14 hits in his last 18 at bats. The Beetles (2-1, 25-9) had taken a 4-2 lead against Southside on Kevin Komstadius' two-run homer in the sixth inning. Yakima 5, Merced, Calif. 2 Yakima 010 040 0 — 5 6 0 Merced 101 000 0 — 2 9 0 Livingston, Kraft (7) and Gordon; Floro, Gilbertson (6) and Fasig. Highlights: Mark Lizama (Y) 3-3, 2b, 3 RBI; 2b; Richie Allen 1-3, 2b. Southside Legion 6, Yakima 4 Southside 101 000 4 — 6 9 2 Yakima 100 012 0 — 4 6 1 Torrin, Mayer (7) and Reed; Oftedal, Kraft (7), Pitt (7) and Lybeck. Highlights: Kevin Komstadius (Y) HR, 2 RBI; Casey Day 2b, Elliot
Hartley (Y) 2b, RBI; Luke Zirkle (Y) RBI. Beetles
fall in championship game DANVILLE, Calif. — Forced to play catch-up after going through three pitchers in the first three innings, the Yakima Pepsi Beetles fell 10-7 to the Reno Knights in the championship game of The Fly With the Owl Annual Tournament on Sunday. Saby Martinez led the attempted comeback, batting 3-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored. Alex Milden and Richie Allen also had two hits with a run scored and an RBI, respectively. But the Beetles (25-11 overall) allowed all 10 runs in the first three innings and couldn't recover from there. Yakima 122 020 0— 7 10 3 Reno 424 000 x — 10 11 0 Bird, Kraft (2), Zirkle (3) and Gordon; Rice, Peterson (3) and Judd. Highlights: Richie Allen 2-4, RBI; Alex Milden 2-3, R; Saby Martinez 3-4, 2 RBI, 2 R. ________________________________________________________________________________________ Titans clip Beetles twice RICHLAND — The Yakima Pepsi Beetles were on their game late in both games, but the Twin City Titans nonetheless swept a key doubleheader in Central Washington League play on Tuesday. A six-run rally in the seventh inning of the opener fell short in an 8-6 loss for Yakima, and Twin City answered the Beetles' three-run outburst in the eighth inning with four runs for a 7-6 victory in the nightcap. Casey Day (solo) and Richie Allen (three-run) broke up Jeremy Stumetz's no-hitter with home runs in the seventh inning of the opener. In the second game, Kevin Komstadius' three-run homer gave Yakima a 6-3 lead heading into the bottom of the eighth. Twin City (11-3) took sole possession of the league lead but Yakima (9-5) could move back into a tie with a sweep over the Twins today at Parker Field. The first game starts at 5 p.m.
Yakima 000 000 6 — 6 6 3 Twin City 122 210 x — 8 11 0 Livingston, Pitt (6) and Lybeck; Stumetz and Nipper. Highlights: Casey Day solo HR; Richie Allen 3-run HR. Game 2 Yakima 000 003 03 — 6 5 2 Twin City 001 101 04 — 7 6 1 Oftedal, Komstadius (7), Pitt (7) and Lybeck; Hejellum, Millbauer (6), Leid (7), Edmondster (8) and Goodman, Nipper (6). Highlights: Kevin Komstadius 3-run HR; Elliot Hartley RBI single in 6th to go ahead. ________________________________________________________________________________ Beetles
sweep Wenatchee WENATCHEE — Richie Allen pounded out seven hits and Chase Livingston and Dustin Oftedal threw complete games as the Yakima Pepsi Beetles swept Wenatchee in a Central Washington League doubleheader Friday night. With wins of 9-3 and 17-6 over the Apple Packers, the third-place Beetles improved to 8-6 in league and will host Wenatchee for another twin bill at Parker Field today. Allen, the leadoff hitter, was 5-for-5 with three runs in the
nightcap and finished Mark Lizama also had a big day, going 6-for-7 with four runs and three RBI, and Paul DiPietro went 5-for-8 in the two games. Casey Day clubbed a three-run homer in the second game. Today's doubleheader starts at 5 p.m.
Yakima 014 300 1 — 9 16 1 Wenatchee 012 000 0 — 3 9 0 Livingston and Gordon; Hill, Benson (4) and Jones. Highlights: Richie Allen 2-3, RBI, run; Paul DiPietro 3-4, RBI, run; Luke Zirkle 2-4, 2 runs, RBI; Sabe Martinez 3-4, 2 runs, 2 RBI, 2 sb; Mark Lizama 3-4, 2 runs, RBI. Game 2 Yakima 313 003 7 — 17 15 1 Wenatchee 020 010 3 — 6 11 3 Oftedal and Lybeck; Blakney, Grode (4), Jones (7), Aguilar (7) and Warden. Highlights: Richie Allen 5-5, 3 runs, RBI; Paul DiPietro 2-4, 2 runs; Casey Day 3-run HR; Mark Lizama 3-3, 2 runs, 2 RBI, sb. ____________________________________________________________________________________ Everything
comes together as Beetles sweep Richie Allen and Kevin Komstadius each homered and Luke Zirkle and Andrew Clauson were stellar on the mound as the Yakima Pepsi Beetles swept Wenatchee in a Central Washington League doubleheader Saturday night at Parker Field. Yakima's 7-4 and 9-0 victories improved it to 10-6 in league play with four games remaining. Allen was 3-for-4 in the first game with a two-run homer while scoring two runs and Saby Martinez singled, tripled and scored twice. Zirkle, after allowing four singles and two runs in the first inning, scattered four more hits the rest of the way. He struck out four and walked one. Komstadius' two-run blast highlighted a 12-hit Beetles attack in the second game. Mark Lizama had two hits and two RBI, Allen singled, doubled and drove in a run and Zirkle had three hits and an RBI. Paul DiPietro and Komstadius had two hits each. Clauson pitched six innings, allowing four singles while striking out seven and walking two. Yakima will visit Carlon Park in Selah on Tuesday for a doubleheader with Yakima Valley, then return to Parker Field for two more against the Pak on Wednesday.
Wenatchee 200 002 0 — 4 8 2 Yakima 013 012 x — 7 9 0 Richards, Grode (6) and Warden; Zirkle and Gordon. Highlights: Richie Allen (Y) 3-4, 2 runs, HR, 2 RBI; Saby Martinez (Y) 2-3, 3b, 2 runs. Game 2 Wenatchee 000 000 0 — 0 4 2 Yakima 114 210 x — 9 12 1 Timboe, Benson (4) and Warden; Clauson, Pitt (7) and Lybeck. Highights: Richie Allen (Y) 2-3, 2b, RBI; Paul DiPietro (Y) 2-3, run RBI; Luke Zirkle (Y) 3-4, run, RBI; Kevin Komstadius (Y) 2-4, HR, 2 RBI; Mark Lizama (Y) 2-3, 2 runs, 2 RBI. _______________________________________________________________________________________ Pak,
Beetles closing in on postseason
Pepsi Pak's Brooks Archer endures congratulatory pats on the
helmet after making it home during the third inning of the Pak's
first game in a double-header against the Beetles at Carlon
Park on Tuesday, July 18, 2006. All that changed Tuesday as the Pak mixed its aggressive base running with four home runs to sweep the Yakima Pepsi Beetles with 14-7 and 11-4 victories. Kevin Allan had two, and Andy Layman and Kevin Walkenhauer notched long balls of their own as Yakima Valley opened a four-game series with the Beetles to close out the Central Washington League regular season. The series, which continues with another doubleheader at "Our backs are against the wall and we needed to win," Yakima Valley coach Mike Archer said. "We did a good job coming out and taking it at them. We were aggressive with the bats, executed and ran the bases well. We really took advantage of our guys who can run." The Pak had no problem generating offense in the first game, pounding out 17 hits. The matchup started as a quiet pitchers' duel for the first three innings before Yakima Valley's bats woke up in the fourth inning and stayed that way the rest of the night. Walkenhauer and Scott Cooper both had two-RBI doubles in the
fourth frame to start their big nights. Besides going the distance
for the SARA GETTYS/Yakima Herald-Republic Pepsi Pak pitcher Kevin Walkenhauer takes on the Beetles during
the third inning of their first game of a double header at Carlon
Park on Tuesday, July 18, 2006. Layman, who finished 3-for-4 with four RBI and three runs scored, had his offensive exclamation point in the fifth to help Yakima Valley quell any Beetle comeback hopes. The Pak leadoff man, who was 5-for-5 on base, turned on an inside curveball for a two-run home run to left field. The long shot gave Yakima Valley three runs in the frame — all with two outs. "We took the wind out of their sails," Layman said. "They got some runs, so we knew we had to put some more up there and knock them down again." Yakima, which pounded out 12 hits itself, just couldn't find a pitcher to shut down the Pak behind the plate. The Beetles went through three hurlers and who all took their shares of abuse, but Yakima scored two runs to pull within three going into the bottom of the sixth. Layman was there again, though, lacing a two-RBI double to help Yakima Valley score four more runs and give plenty of padding for Walkenhauer. While the Pak starter didn't register one strikeout in his seven innings of work, he walked only four and didn't wilt after the comeback-minded Beetles loaded the bases with two outs in the seventh. Instead, he just got Richie Allen to ground out to second for the final out. SARA GETTYS/Yakima Herald-Republic Pepsi Pak's Kevin Allan (#11) jumps over Beetles player Mark
Lizama (#10) after getting him out at second and thowing to
first for a double play during the third inning of their first
game at Carlon Park on Tuesday, July 18, 2006. "This team doesn't quit," Yakima coach Ryan Froula said. "If given the opportunity to get back in the game, we'll fight to the end. Unfortunately, we didn't have somebody who could shut them down so we could get closer." The trend continued into the nightcap with Yakima again going through three pitchers who couldn't slow the Pak down, but Yakima Valley did find a someone to keep the Beetles quiet. Derek Welton went the distance for the Pak, allowing 10 hits while striking out seven and walking only two. Allan, who finished batting 2-for-4 with four RBI and two runs, hit home runs in the third and sixth inning to give Welton a comfy lead for most of the game. His two-run shot combined with Walkenhauer's two-run long ball in the third gave the Pak a 8-1 lead. Yakima managed only three more runs in the sixth off a tiring Welton to fall for the second time. Allen and Komstadius led the Yakima offense with two hits, an RBI and a run each in the second game.
Yakima 000 142 0 — 7 12 2 Yakima Valley 101 534 x — 14 17 3 Livingston, Pitt (4), Komstadius (5) and Gordon; Walkenhauer and Fortenberry. Highlights: Paul DiPietro (Y) 2-4, 2b, R; Casey Day (Y) 2-3, 2b, 4 RBI; Luke Zirkle (Y) RBI, R; Kevin Komstadius (Y) 2-3, 2b, RBI, R; Saby Martinez (Y) 2b, RBI; Mark Lizama (Y) 2-3, R; Brad Gordon (Y) 2 R; Andy Layman (YV) 3-4, HR, 2b, 4 RBI, 3 R; Brooks Archer (YV) 2-4, R; Kevin Walkenhauer (YV) 3-3, 2b, 3 RBI, R; Eric Sorensen (YV) 2-4, 2 R; Kevin Allan (YV) 2 R; John Fortenberry (YV) 2-3, RBI, 2 R; Scott Cooper (YV) 2-3, 2b, 3 RBI, R; Chris Demond (YV) 2-4, 2 RBI, 2 R. Game 2 Yakima 100 003 0 — 4 10 1 Yakima Valley 206 012 x — 11 15 1 Oftedal, Kraft (3), Bird (5) and Lybeck; Welton and Schlieman. Highlights: Richie Allen (Y) 2-4, RBI, R; Komstadius (Y) 2-4,
RBI, R; Walkenhauer (YV) 2-4, HR, 2b, 3 RBI; Archer (YV) 3-3,
2 R; Brandon Jewett (YV) 2-4, 3b, RBI, R; Allan (YV) 2-4, 2
HR, 4 RBI, 2 R; Cooper (YV) 2-3, RBI.
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