Ferris Rolls On Finnerty Gem

Prep baseball

Shadle Park entered Saturday’s winner-to- region game with its top three pitchers rested and ready.

Ferris entered the game with its top three pitchers all but used up.

But Conor Finnerty looked nothing like a No. 4 pitcher under sunny skies at Avista Stadium.

Finnerty pitched a two-hitter, both hits coming in the first inning, as Ferris defeated Shadle 9-2 to qualify for its fifth consecutive Region IV 4A tournament.

“He hadn’t thrown much after two starts early in the season,” Ferris coach John Thacker said of Finnerty. “We were hoping for four innings. But he threw strikes. That was the key: a lot of ground balls, and he didn’t bunch his (six) walks together.”

Ferris (17-6) will play Greater Spokane League champion North Central (17-3) at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Avista for seeding to Saturday’s Region IV tournament, also at Avista.

The GSL No. 1 will open against Big Nine Conference No. 2 Richland (16-8) at 10 a.m. GSL No. 2 will play Big Nine No. 1 Eisenhower (16-6) at 1 p.m. Winners will meet at 4 for a spot in the State 4A final four.

Kamiakin (19-4) is conspicuously missing from the field. The Braves, nationally ranked this year, lost to Eisenhower and Richland during Saturday’s District 5/6 tourney.

Ferris went 3-0 during its District 8 4A tournament weekend. The Saxons used up pitcher Eric Everson while defeating Rogers in six innings on Friday. Thacker called on his other ace, Adam Oakley, for Saturday’s opener against Mead, and planned to use Cliff Poffenroth if the Saxons advanced to play Shadle.

But Oakley couldn’t hold an 8-0 lead against Mead. Oakley loaded the bases in the seventh and Dan Stucky ripped a triple off reliever Poffenroth.

Fine fielding and some fortune allowed Ferris to escape with a nine-inning, 9-8 win, but Poffenroth worked three innings to limit his availability for the Shadle game.

Ferris staked Finnerty to a 2-0 lead over Shadle, but the junior right-hander allowed first-inning doubles to Ben Sorcinelli and Brett Wideman to tie the game.

Shadle (15-5) figured to have pitching to burn. Starter Sorcinelli and Ben McCracken both finished among the GSL’s top five in earned-run average, and projected ace Sean Clark was back from an injury. But Sorcinelli was rocked for a five-run second, allowing five hits and a walk. Finnerty’s two-run double was the key hit.

“I was very proud of the team,” said Shadle coach Ron Brooks. “We won 11 of our last 13 games, and all of our boys competed hard all the time.”

The district had the feel of the 1999 tournament, when No. 2 seed Mead rested and fell to a Rogers team that rolled through with three wins.

“If you have one real stopper, someone who throws in the 90s, that’s an advantage the No. 2 (seed) has,” Thacker said. “But sitting around for two games doesn’t help.”

The top three in Ferris’ lineup, Craig King, Everson and Aaron Sedler, were a combined 14 for 29 during the weekend, with 12 runs. They were on base 27 times.

Ferris overcame Mead (12-10) on Travis Wiles’ bases-loaded, two-out grounder to the right of reliever Mark Redmond in the ninth. Redmond bounced a throw to first that Jake Sampson couldn’t quite handle.

Stucky, bound for the University of Kansas, went 2 for 5 with four RBIs. Oakley took a no-hitter into the fifth, but Mead batted around to score four.

Cheney allowed two homers and had the potential tying run thrown out at home in the seventh during a 5-4 loss to West Valley (Yakima) in a winner-to-state, loser-out Region IV 3A game at West Valley (Spokane). Selah (21-3) earned the No. 1 seed by defeating WV (Yakima) 5-2. Cheney (13-12) opened the day by eliminating Colville 6-4. Ben Woodard and Steve Rassmussen had two RBIs apiece to lead Cheney. Jeff Banich threw a five-hitter, but the Indians (14-8) committed three errors during Cheney’s four-run third.

Josh Taylor pitched a four-hitter and had a two-run homer as Lakeside defeated Pullman 13-2 in the championship game of the District 7 2A tournament at Pullman. Reed Fessel added a two-run double for the Eagles (17-5), who earned the No. 1 seed to the Region IV 2A tournament at Gonzaga University on Saturday. Lakeside will open at noon against Naches… . Pullman (18-5) earned the No. 2 seed by bouncing back to eliminate Medical Lake 13-8. Nick Paulson of the Greyhounds went 3 for 4 with five RBIs. Pullman will open regional play at 10 a.m. Saturday vs. Wapato at Naches or Yakima Valley CC… . Medical Lake (16-7) opened the day with a 13-3, loser-out win over Chewelah (12-11). The Cardinals scored eight unearned runs in the first and built their lead to 10-1 on Brent Kaplan’s two-run homer in the fourth.

DeSales (20-1) defeated Touchet 17-9 in the championship game of the District 9 B tournament at Walla Walla. The Irish earned the No. 1 seed to the State B tournament and will open in Walla Walla against the District 7 No. 3. Touchet (19-4), the No. 2 seed, travels to Yakima for its state opener. Garfield-Palouse (16-6) earned the third and final berth by defeating Whitman County League regular-season champion Colton 14-0 behind Jason Fox’s no-hitter. Gar-Pal opens state in Walla Walla against District 7 No. 2.