Giant Championship Ends In Tie

For the first time in Spokane Valley Baseball memory, two teams couldn’t resolve a championship, settling instead for a share.

“We went to the max,,” said Skipper Bill’s coach Rick Henderson of the 9-9 standoff between his team and Spokane Valley Firefighters in the Giant League playoff. “It was dark when we finished up. We had no bench and absolutely no pitchers. Neither did they.”

The tie contest was part of a 12-hour four-game day at Gonzaga University that brought an end to the 2000 Valley Baseball season.

In the 9 a.m. Pee Wee League opener, Yogi Bear Campground, behind pitcher-hitter Tyler Olson, defeated National Color Graphics to complete a 14-0-1 season.

Midget champion Gibson’s Nursery followed, on the bat of Mike Conrad, with a 14-4 romp past regular-season champion 1st Choice Health Care.

Giant saga defies belief

Players on both teams were part of a league all-star team that was playing in a National Amateur Baseball Federation tournament during the week, so pitching arms were already spent.

Potential Skipper Bill’s hurler T-Bone Henderson broke his ankle the evening before and was out. Complicating matters, his team - first during regular season - had lost its first tournament game and needed three wins to reach the finals and two more to claim the title.

Meanwhile, Valley Firefighter Brian Dagon broke his ankle in the first game of the finals. To make matters worse, A.J. Gosney was spiked, and the resulting stitches kept him from taking the mound.

In the first game, Skipper Bill’s jumped on the Firefighters for six first-inning runs, five unearned, and nursed it to a 9-2 victory.

Coaches Henderson and Ray Smith threw all they had in game two, which ended tied in the dark. And with two more NABF games scheduled on Sunday, they had no recourse but to accept a title tie.

“I don’t mind sharing the championship,” said Henderson, “and neither does Ray. “It was a great two games and we’d rather end it this way with no loser.”

Team members for the Firefighters are Gosney, Dagon, Mike Mosier, Michael Ingham, Tyler Luedtke, Kyle Renz, John McCullough, Scott Smoltz, Geoff Palachuck, Steven Daschbach, Gage Wells, Kyle Jones, Zach Evans and Eric Smith. Coaches are Smith and Bill Dagon.

Team members of Skipper Bills’ are Henderson, Matt Johnston, J.D. Edlund, Scott Campbell, Anthony Morgan, Robert Shea, Troy Roberg, Nick Nelson, Tyler Alvarado, Brice Parker, Chris Neubauer, Mike McKinley and Chad Smith, already out with a broken arm. Coaches are Henderson and Craig Johnston.

The players incidentally finished second Sunday in their NABF tourney, losing the title via a tiebreaker as darkness settled.

“The kids played their hearts out,” said Henderson. “It was 10 great baseball games in five days.” Reluctant coach nets Midget title

Scott Ellig hadn’t planned to coach Gibson’s Nursery until circumstances prevailed that created a need.

“I tried to get out of it but took it and am glad I did,” he said after his team completed a 13-3 season with its win over 14-2 First Choice Health Care Services.

Trailing 4-0 entering the third inning, Gibson’s erupted for five runs, added seven more in the fourth and two in the fifth to end the game early.

Conrad stroked a three-run double, a two-run double and two-run single (which would have been a grand slam home run had he not missed second base) and scored twice. He also pitched the last two innings.

“He’s been great all year long,” said Ellig, “but so many players played so well. Even the kids you don’t expect much of really picked it up. I’m so happy. I couldn’t be happier.”

And, he added, he has no intention of coaching again.

Gibson’s Nursery players include Conrad, Alex Ellig, Brent Garves, Zach Ormsby, Zack Black, Joey Poole, Scott Carlson, Kevin Hart, Nate Thompson, Jared Mecham, Tyler Goering, Travis Lewis and Brian Lewis. Mike Ormsby was assistant coach.

Player dominant in PeeWees

It isn’t just parental talk when coach Jeff Olson says his team revolved around his son.

Tyler Olson hit a double and triple, drove in two runs and scored two during Yogi Bear’s win over National Color Graphics for the PeeWee title. He also pitched three hitless innings, striking out six.

That was a typical outing. Olson struck out 122 and walked 19 during the season. He batted .743 and of 26 hits, 20 went for extra bases with uncommon power.

He and fellow hurler Josh Henderson combined on seven shutouts and allowed one run in five other games. Only once, a 7-7 extra-inning tie when a different pitcher was tried, did the team allow more than two runs in a game.

“You never know how kids are going to play,” said Olson, who coached his older son to last year’s Midget title. “But I’ve never coached a better team.”

Members are Brad Whitley, C.J. Thorpe, Jake Collins, Sam Busby, Randy Leestma, Rusty Shellhorn, Quinn Shellhorn, Chad Smith, Kevin Gooden, David Butler, Gage Olson, Colton Nachtwey, Joey Nania, Henderson and Olson.