YAKIMA – Lakewood’s Cougars needed two closers – one on the mound and one in the third-base coaches box – to get past Hoquiam Friday, 5-2, and advance to today’s Class 2A baseball state championship game.
The Cougars relied on freshman pitcher Ryan Martin to close out the Grizzlies after starter Alex Thomas scattered seven hits through eight innings in holding the Grizzlies to two runs.
Lakewood will make its first state title game appearance since 1997 at 4 p.m. at Yakima County Stadium.
But it was the other closer – third base coach Doug Plucker – who came through with the big offensive inning when the Cougars needed it.
Plucker and associate coach Larry Delaney alternate innings working the first and third base coaches box. The rule is, score a run on your watch at third and you get to go back.
So Plucker, whose aggressive tendencies unnerved the Grizzlies in a three-run top of the ninth inning, will open the title game in the third base box.
Plucker called for bunts from four consecutive batters in the ninth inning, forcing Hoquiam repeatedly to make plays on defense.
He added to that with kamikaze base running instructions for Tracy Wammack, who led the inning off with a single. Wammack went to second on an error and scored from there – it was close at the plate – on a sacrifice bunt by Kyle Westley.
Jake Rife, who boarded on an error, scored on a single by Matt Bry. Westley, who was aboard on an error and went to third on the single, scored on a passed ball on a squeeze bunt attempt when Jake Bruns was batting.
That aggressive approach offensively is right in sync with Delaney’s thinking.
“We know we have to put the ball in play and make the other team make plays,” Delaney said. “I was the starter who got us two in the first and he was the closer when we needed it.”
Thomas ran his record to 8-1 and allowed just one earned run . After giving up a run in the first, he worked himself out of trouble in the second, fourth and eighth innings, allowing just a single run in the bottom of the seventh to tie the game.
Martin, who threw just eight pitches in getting the save, will start the championship game on the mound for Lakewood.
At Yakima
Lakewood200000003-584
Hoquiam100000100-295
Thomas, Martin (9) and Wammack. Tomlin and Giles. WP-Thomas (8-1) LP-Tomlin. Sv-Martin. 2B-Rife (L), Westley (L), Giles (H). Records-Lakewood 20-6 overall.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
