Bases-loaded walk spurs Eagles to win

Once playoff baseball begins, teams aren’t supposed to be able to get away with wins while performing below expectations.

Greg Bradley threw a two-hitter to save West Valley’s wayward offense as the Eagles pulled out a last-inning 2-1 win over Mid-Valley No. 2 Ellensburg in a 3A regional game at West Valley.

With the game tied 1-1 in the bottom of the seventh, Ellensburg sophomore starter Derek Bailes put two on with one out before being replaced by senior catcher Brian Rittereiser.

Rittereiser retired Bradley on a groundout that moved runners to second and third, then walked center fielder Mitch Phillips to load the bases.

With two outs and the bases loaded, Rittereiser walked designated hitter Darrin VanBebber, forcing in Phillip Gannon, and sending the Eagles (13-8) to a winner-to-state game Saturday at 4 p.m. in Selah against MV No. 1 West Valley (Yakima), which beat visiting North Central 8-1.

Ellensburg (10-11) will play East Valley, which beat Sunnyside 10-1, in a loser-out game at 1 p.m. in Selah. North Central will play MV No. 3 Selah (16-5), 7-2 winners over Hanford, in a loser-out game at 10 a.m., also in Selah.

“We won. That’s all that matters,” said West Valley head coach Don O’Neal, whose team left eight runners on base and had three runners picked off. “You know, we didn’t play well. We didn’t hit at all. Their pitcher didn’t have a lot, but he shut us down.”

West Valley was still in a position to win late because of junior left-hander Bradley, who carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning before Ellensburg tied it up.

Rittereiser led off the top of the seventh with a double over Phillips’ head to dead center, breaking up the no-hitter. Cleanup hitter Noah Loveless followed with a single up the middle, scoring Rittereiser and tying the game. Bradley retired the next three Bulldogs in order to keep the game deadlocked.

“Sometimes you miss and they get a hold of it, and that’s pretty much what happened,” said Bradley, who finished with eight strikeouts and one walk, improving to 6-2 on the season. “I was thinking (about the no-hitter), but something always happens.”

“He didn’t even have his best stuff today,” O’Neal said of Bradley, who threw only 89 pitches through seven innings. “That’s what we expect from him, we expect him to come out and win. He’s got it dialed in right now.”

West Valley caught a break to score its first run in the first inning. Justin Marlow led off with a hit by pitch, followed by a walk to Gannon. Shortstop Michael Hauschild drove a 1-2 pitch from Bailes deep to center, but Bulldogs center fielder Scott Cooper appeared to have it tracked down before slipping and falling, the ball dropping for an RBI double.

The one-run loss was Ellensburg’s first defeat in eight games, and saved the Eagles from having to win three straight loser-out games to get into the state tournament. Now, if WV loses Saturday, they can come back Tuesday with Bradley in a loser-out, winner-to-state game.

“It was really important (to get this one),” Bradley said. “I like having the team on my shoulders, being the pitcher with the team all confident and trying to win it.”

West Valley (Yakima) 8, North Central 1

Kevin Walkenhauer shut down NC (11-10), allowing four hits and one run in six innings, and drove in two runs as well to lead the Rams (15-5). Sean Heary went 2 for 4 and drove in three runs for WV-Yakima, which blew the game open with a five-run sixth.

East Valley 10, Sunnyside 1

EV (12-9) stayed alive by pounding the visiting Grizzlies (11-10) in a loser-out game. Bret Riggin pitched a complete-game four-hitter, striking out seven, and also drove in three runs for the Knights. Jye Lanphere hit his sixth home run of the year for the Knights, a two-run shot in the fourth inning.