Bullpups surprise Mt. Spokane; Mead avoids similar fate

Gonzaga Prep prolonged Mt. Spokane’s history of playoff baseball futility with a District 8 4A tournament upset.

Seven sixth-inning runs by the No. 6-seeded Bullpups eliminated the No. 3 Wildcats 12-9 at Avista Stadium in Wednesday’s opener.

In the nightcap between the No. 4 and 5 entrants, Mead avoided a similar upset with a 3-0 win over Lewis and Clark.

“Two years ago we played Shadle Park and were third and we got snake-bit,” said Mead coach Jason Reich. “That’s what the playoffs are about. You’re not here because you’re lucky. Anybody can beat anybody.”

The surprise moves G-Prep against Greater Spokane League champion Ferris at Avista at 7 p.m. Friday, following Mead’s game against second seed University at 4.

G-Prep 12, Mt. Spokane 9: The game didn’t go as expected, but certainly wound up as Bullpups coach Greg Gores had hoped.

“By no means was it our game plan to give them a touchdown lead and have to scrap,” said Gores.

G-Prep fell behind 5-0 after two innings before Vince Tschirgi started the comeback in the third by crushing a ball some 380 feet to the base of the left-center field fence for a three-run double.

“It was my first clutch hit in a while,” Tschirgi said of the blast that cut Mt. Spokane’s lead to 5-4. “I was thinking first-pitch fastball all the way and got it.”

Mt. Spokane led 7-5 entering the sixth inning, but the Wildcats may have stayed too long with freshman starter Nic Fowler.

The Bullpups had five hits in the sixth, started by back-to-back doubles by Max Manix and Bryan Karwacki. With Wildcats mistakes, the offensive flurry produced a 12-7 lead.

Mt. Spokane caught a break with a putout at home after the first three G-Prep batters reached base, but the Wildcats committed an error on a potential double-play ball. Phil Joy followed with a two-run single and G-Prep scored four more on wild pitches, passed balls and a double steal.

“That error killed them, but we did do a pretty good job of competing at the plate,” Gores said of an 11-hit output.

Nine of 10 Bullpups batters hit safely.

An error and hit batter followed by three hits, including a two-run single by Jarek Cunningham, staked Mt. Spokane to a 4-0 lead. Left-handed Brad Moritz homered to right in the second.

Trailing 7-4, G-Prep went with sophomore C.J. Perry in relief and he shut out Mt. Spokane for three innings.

“We brought (Perry) up three weeks ago,” said Gores. “He’s one of those guys you can’t keep out of the ball game.”

Mead 3, LC 0: The game was a pitchers’ duel between team aces Matt Walsh of the victorious Panthers and Eric Barge of the Tigers.

Walsh allowed just two hits and Barge three through four innings.

“Barge is a good pitcher and mixed it up well,” Reich said.

Mead broke through on senior shortstop Kevin Schneider’s two-out, two-strike, two-run triple in the fifth inning.

The only run before then was a tough-chance dropped ball on Schneider’s fly into the left-field corner.

In the fifth, Mead loaded the bases with no outs before Barge, with his fifth assist, started a home-to-first double play and almost got out of the inning.

“It’s about seniors stepping up. It was Kevin’s moment to shine,” Reich said.