Missed opportunities and miscues ruled the night Thursday in The Dalles baseball team’s doubleheader sweep loss to 6A Centennial.
In 18 innings, the Riverhawks committed nine errors, and stranded 21 runners on base, including eight in the final three innings of their 13-11 nightcap loss to the Eagles (5-1 overall).
TD also lost the first game by a 5-4 margin.
“The overall message is we are better. We know we are much better than what we showed today,” said TD senior catcher Kellen Mathisen. “We had a lot of mental mistakes and we had a lack of focus, which led to us giving these two games to them. We definitely could have beaten them. What we can reflect on is just realize that we are better and that we are going to get better. It is important for us to move forward and realize it is still early and we can learn a lot about ourselves from these two games.”
Both teams went back-and-forth in the nightcap, where Centennial took advantage of six TD errors in the first three innings to go ahead by a 7-5 score.
In the bottom of the sixth inning, the Riverhawks erased an 8-6 deficit with four runs, as Johnny Miller scored on a passed ball to make it an 8-8 score, and Spencer Honald capped the frame with a two-run single to right field scoring Daniel Peters and Dylan DesRochers to put TD ahead, 10-8.
Centennial tied the score in the top of the seventh inning off TD reliever Boston Bate on a wild pitch and a sacrifice fly.
The Hawks had a chance to win the game in the bottom of the seventh and bottom of the eighth, loading the bases with one out both times, but could not score the game-winner.
Centennial broke through in the ninth inning with three unearned runs off DesRochers.
Still down 13-10 in the home half of the ninth, the Riverhawks rallied again.
Mathisen slapped an RBI single to left to plate Matt Strizich, who walked.
With two outs and Mathisen on first base, Peters reached base on a hit by pitch to put the tying runs on base.
But Eagle reliever Liam Carter recorded the final out on a strikeout to seal the second-game win, 13-11.
Miller had two hits and scored twice, Mathisen had a hit, an RBI and two walks, DesRochers went 0 for 1 with four walks and three runs scored and Honald went 2 for 3 with a run scored and Peters posted a hit and was hit by a pitch.
TD had seven hits, was issued eight walks, had four players hit by pitches, but stranded 14 runners.
“We had guys tighten up and try to hit the ball further than they can realistically hit it,” said Tyler Westin. “So, it is mainly just about the little things. The little squibs through the infield, the little flares to the shallow outfield and maybe touch a gap or something, but that’s the game. You can’t try to take more than what it will give you. A flare here, a little groundball through the infield there and that’s our game right there.”
In the opening game, the Riverhawks squandered a six-inning, five-hit, four-strikeout gem from Bailey Ortega, as Centennial broke a 3-3 tie with an unearned run in the sixth frame and then tacked on the eventual game-winning run off Boston Bate in the top of the ninth inning to pick up a 5-4 win.
TD tied the game in the bottom of the seventh, as Colin Noonan scored on a two-out wild pitch.
Down 5-4 in the ninth, the Hawks had the winning run at first base with two outs, but a game-ending popup to second base ended the threat.
In the first game, TD had four hits, received six walks and had three batters hit by pitches and stranded seven runners, four in scoring position.
Mathisen, Peters, Cash Mathewson and Noonan each had hits, and Noonan scored two runs, and the trio of Miller, Dawson and Hoffman scored a run each.
Even in defeat, TD head coach J.R. Runyon complimented the pitching efforts of Ortega, Bate, DesRochers and William Justesen, especially given the fact that Colton Walker was on spring break vacation in Mexico.
It comes down to playing tough for the next six non-league games before the start of a tough league campaign against Hermiston, Hood River Valley and Pendleton.
Those three teams have a combined 12-5 record.
“If we can just clean up our defensive end and not let that happen again and start hitting like we are capable of, we will be fine,” Runyon said. “I think we have six games until league and our focus is on playing well in those six games, so we can have some momentum. It is about straightening our path and straightening our direction and playing like we are capable of, because those teams are waiting for us. We are going to do everything we can to make sure we are ready to go.”
TD (2-4 overall) heads to Bend for a game against Summit at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Commented
Sorry, there are no recent results for popular commented articles.