DeSales beats Gorillas to reach B title game

Someday, somewhere, DeSales will lose a Class B regional or state tournament baseball game. But Friday night wasn’t the time, and Parker Field wasn’t the place.

DeSales, seeking its fifth straight championship, stormed into today’s title game with a 13-5 victory over Davenport in a state semifinal at chilly, breezy Parker. The Irish will meet Lake Quinault, a 9-1 winner over Mossyrock, at 1 p.m. at Yakima County Stadium for the championship.

DeSales pounded out 15 hits against three Davenport pitchers, erasing a 3-2 deficit with six runs in the third inning and five more in the fourth. That meant a 19th consecutive victory in either regional or state competition.

“Our hitting was outstanding,” Irish coach Kim Cox said, “and we certainly needed it because our pitching was not what we expected. We struggled the whole game.”

After the Gorillas jumped on starter Nick Conley for two runs in the first inning, then capitalized on Conley’s throwing error for another run and a 3-2 lead in the third, DeSales responded impressively in the bottom of the inning. The first five Irish hitters reached base and later scored. Conley drove in one with a double, Nick Richard added another with a single and T.J. Conley and Kyle Moore each scored another with a double. Two errors also contributed to the rally.

Then in the fourth, the Irish sent 10 hitters to the plate while breaking the game open. Richard and Moore each pounded two-run doubles.

Asked if the early deficit had been a concern, T.J. Conley said, “Not really. We’ve played big teams (larger schools) all year and we’ve come back a lot. That’s baseball, really.”

B

Garfield-Palouse won a pair of softball games to advance to the semifinals of the State B tournament at Walla Walla Point Park in Wenatchee.

Gar-Pal opened with a 9-7 win over King’s West and followed up with a 10-5 win over Davenport. Gar-Pal (19-3) faces Morton (17-3) today.

Davenport (19-3) opened with a 12-11 win over Kittitas, lost to Gar-Pal, then was eliminated by Shoreline Christian 17-6.

Curlew lost to Shoreline Christian 6-5 in its first game, bounced back to beat Quilcene 12-5 before being ousted by Touchet, 11-5.

It was two-and-out for Selkirk and Odessa. Touchet handled the Rangers 4-1 defeat in their opener and Entiat finished them off 8-0. Taholah beat Odessa 6-5 and Shoreline Christian gave the Tigers the boot, 5-4.

2A

Colville dropped its softball opener in Wenatchee, but rallied to win a pair of games in the consolation bracket.

Hoquiam dealt the Indians a 14-5 setback, but Colville came back to defeat Othello 9-2 and Connell 10-0. The Indians play Orting at 9 a.m.

Pullman went 1-2 and was eliminated, its lone win a 5-1 decision over Klahowya.

1A

Kettle Falls advanced to the semifinals with a pair of victories in Wenatchee. The Bulldogs opened with a 4-2 win over Goldendale and followed with a 2-1 victory over Toledo. KF will play Royal today. Concrete handed Colfax a 4-1 loss in its opener. No other scores were reported.