Sasquatch Seek Recovery From Long Hours In The Sun

College baseball

An extended road swing into the Valley of the Sun late last month didn’t brighten the fortunes of Community Colleges of Spokane.

In fact, Sasquatch coach Hal DeBerry is convinced that many of his team’s problems - which included an eight-game losing streak that ended Friday - can be traced back to the Arizona desert, where CCS played six games in as many days.

The trip started promisingly with wins over Pratt (Kan.) and Dartmouth, but ended with four consecutive losses. Since returning home, the Sasquatch have dropped four of five NWACC games and find themselves in the unfamiliar role of East Region cellar-dwellers.

“I told my team the other day that 14 days ago we were a pretty good team,” DeBerry said. “But we’ve been struggling a little bit lately.”

The fatigue factor, DeBerry admits, has settled in much deeper on his young pitching staff than it has on his hitters.

“We’re actually swinging the bats pretty well,” DeBerry said, “but our pitching has been kind of funny. It hasn’t been horrible, but it’s only been good enough to get us beat.

“We’re doing things backwards. We’re getting behind in the count and then throwing strikes. And when hitters know you have to come in (with a strike), they can hurt you.”

DeBerry has nine freshmen on his staff and his top four starters are all rookies. The ace of the staff is former Gonzaga Prep standout Forrest Higgins, who is 2-1.

Higgins threw a solid game earlier this week, but received zilch in the way of offensive support in a 3-0 loss to Big Bend. Otherwise the pitching has been suspect.

The hitting, however, has been decent.

“Trevor Davis is swinging it real well,” DeBerry said of his sophomore third baseman, who is hitting better than .400 since transferring from Southern Idaho.

Davis had eight doubles and drove in 14 runs in CCS’ first nine games. Also hot is sophomore first baseman Tyson Best, who is hitting around .420.

CC Spokane 4, Columbia Basin 1

Tim Hackman (1-0) struck out seven and Davis drove in two runs as the Sasquatch (5-9, 1-4) beat the visiting Hawks (7-8, 3-2).

Hackman, a freshman, walked three and scattered five singles and one double in nine innings. Davis’ one-out single in CCS’ three-run fifth scored Andy Sage, who led off with a single.

CBC 000 100 000 - 1 6 1

Spokane 100 030 00x - 4 7 2

Boyd and Harrison; Hackman and Zarfas. W - Hackman (1-0). L - Boyd.

HITS: Columbia Basin - Cobb 2, Smith 2, Becker 2. CCS Sage 2, Melsness, Davis 2, VandeMark, Sandnes. 2B-Becker.

Portland St. 7, Washington St 5

Graham Schetzlse scored the winning run in the eighth by jarring the ball from catcher Jason Hairston as the Vikings (9-19, 1-0) beat the visiting Cougars (11-21, 0-1) in a Pacific-10 Conference North opener.

Schetzsle scored from second on a pinch-hit single to left field by Tyler Sabatke. Cabe Jones singled home the tying run prior to Sabatke’s hit, then later scored on a passed ball.

WSU’s Jerred Fowler was 3 for 4, including a two-run homer in the sixth.

WSU starter Robert Ramsay allowed no hits through six. Dave Wheeler (0-1), who entered in the eighth, took the loss. Paco Garcia (2-2) struck out 10 and walked none for the win.

WSU 000 002 030 - 5 9 1

Portland St. 000 000 34x - 7 7 1

Ramsay, Muehlbauer (7), Vezzetti (8), Wheeler (8) and Hairston; Garcia, Young (8), Smith (8) and Case. W-Smith (2-2). L-Wheeler (0-1).

HITS: WSU Wetmore, Horner, Fischer 2, Hairston, Fowler 3, Solomon. PSU Marbut, King, Schetzsle, Jones, Schmidt, Brown, Sabake. 3B-Brown (2). HR-Fowler (3)

Washington 9, Oregon St. 8

Ryan Bundy’s two-out single in the ninth scored Ryan Soules as the Huskies (12-17, 1-0) beat the visiting Beavers (16-7-1, 0-1) in the Pac-10 North.

OSU 001 101 005 - 8 11 2

Washington 100 050 003 - 9 15 3

Lovinger, Newell (9), Jackson (9), Boire (9) and Schmidt; Kringen, Morrison (9) and Bundy. W-Morrison (2-0). L-Newell (1-2).

2B-Hageman, Leone, Miller, Soules 2.

Linfield 4-3, Whitworth 3-0

Brian Barnett’s two-out, two-run single in the bottom of the seventh gave Linfield (5-0) a win in the opener of a Northwest Conference of Independent Colleges sweep over visiting Whitworth (10-7, 2-3) at McMinnville, Ore.

Bryan Pashley (4-2) won the nightcap, throwing his second consecutive shutout and setting a school record with 18 straight scoreless innings.

Whitworth’s Chris Fukai hit a solo homer in the opener.

Whitworth 120 000 0 - 3 10 2

Linfield 100 010 2 - 4 6 2

Two outs when winning run scored.

McDougal and Schuerman; Deemer, Roupp (3) and Musser. W-Roupp. L-McDougal (1-1).

HITS: Whitworth - Swan 2, Crandall, Peterson 2, Brown, Fukai 2, Sundet 2. Linfield - Lucas 2, Powell, Barnett, Hollabaugh, Musser. 2B-Lucas, Powell. HR-Fukai (1).

Whitworth 000 000 000 - 0 5 1

Linfield 000 000 30x - 3 8 1

Fleming and Schuerman; Pashley and Hockman. W-Pashley. L-Fleming (3-1).

HITS: Whitworth - Crandall 2, Peterson, Turner, Fischer. Linfield - Lucas, Powell, Menold 2, Marquart, Rohr 2, Hockman. 2B-Powell.

, DataTimes MEMO: Changed from the Idaho edition.