Ferris loses twice, ousted from playoffs

Ferris’ stay was brief in the State 4A baseball playoffs on a day when the Tahoma Bears made a 300-mile weekend trip to Spokane worthwhile.

The Saxons (19-3) were beaten 6-0 by Chad Arnold and the Southridge Suns in the second game of Sunday’s tournament at Avista Stadium.

Tahoma (22-3) twice beat Big Nine teams and denied any of Eastern Washington’s three state representatives a spot in next week’s semifinals.

The Bears used the long ball in both wins, beating Davis (21-3) 4-1 with two home runs to open regional play. They then got a game-winning homer by J.R. Roland in the championship to defeat Southridge (21-5) 4-3.

Tahoma, from Covington, is one of three South Puget Sound League teams still alive for a state title. Unbeaten Wesco League team Jackson, ranked second in the nation, is Tahoma’s next foe.

The semifinals and finals will be played at Safeco Field in Seattle next Friday and Saturday.

Ferris ran afoul of Washington State-bound pitcher Arnold to bring its season to an anticlimactic end.

Southridge’s lanky right-hander had command of all of his pitches in limiting the Saxons to two hits and seven base runners.

His fastball topped 85 mph and he mixed in off-speed and breaking pitches to keep Ferris off balance.

“He’s probably the best pitcher we’ve seen,” said third baseman Chad Berland, who had Ferris’ first hit in the fourth inning. “I just got a good pitch, a fastball down the middle, and hit it. His curveball was real tough.”

And just like last year, Southridge did what Saxons coach John Thacker had hoped wouldn’t be repeated.

The Suns jumped out to a 4-0 first-inning lead against Saxons starter Andy Greenslitt, a hole from which they couldn’t climb out.

“Give Chad a four-spot,” Suns coach Tim Sanders said, “and it’s pretty much a done deal.”

The first three batters reached base, with Travis Mattair singling in the first run. Matt Tanneberg drove in two more with the first of his two doubles and Dave Lacy singled home the fourth.

Junior third-baseman Mattair made it 5-0 with a double in the second and Brian George doubled in a run in the fifth.

“When we get ahead like that I feel a lot better going out there,” said the 6-foot-5 Arnold.

He began by throwing fastballs, then made effective use of his other pitches as the game wore on.

“I try to establish the fastball,” he said. “It starts from there then I work off that. I like to go to my slider for a strikeout pitch.”

He had eight strikeouts, walked four and hit a batter.

Ferris left a runner at second in the third inning when Pat Burke lined hard into a double play.

Berland’s hit came with two outs in the fourth, but Arnold’s third strikeout of the inning stranded Kyle Krustangel at third. Krustangel’s sixth-inning hit put runners at second and first with one out, but there they stayed.

“I saw Arnold pitch Tuesday and he kind of struggled with his control,” Thacker said.

“Today he was much sharper, a lot sharper and that was kind of the big difference right there.”

For the Saxons, it brought an end to a season in which they won the Greater Spokane League and district championships.

“We didn’t have a home field and were always on the go for 18 games,” Thacker said. “Our kids competed really well and had a good year. It’s just tough when it comes down to one game.”

Tahoma 4, Southridge 3: Roland shot down Southridge with a stunning two-out, sixth-inning home run over the right field fence off reliever Mattair to win the region championship and advance to the final four.

The Suns had, just minutes earlier, rallied from a 3-1 deficit to tie the game in the top of the inning on a two-run single by Thomas Henderson that found no man’s land, dropping between Tahoma’s right fielder, second baseman and first baseman. Thomas, the No. 8 hitter, had singled and scored an inning earlier.

Starter Alex Shimkus had pitched one-hit, shutout ball through four innings and retired the first two batters in the sixth on two pitches before faltering.

Roland finished 3 for 3, driving in a run in the second and doubling and scoring in the fourth before his game-winner.

Tahoma’s first baseman also denied Southridge leadoff hitter Shawn O’Malley a base hit in the seventh, sprawling to field the ball, getting up and diving to the bag to get the out.

Tahoma 4, Davis 1: In Sunday’s opening game J.J. Thompson, batting second for Tahoma, homered off Davis ace Andrew Clauson over the left field wall in the first inning and Drew Prince hit one over the short porch in right in the fifth.

James Dean doubled in the Bears’ second run and scored their third, more than enough for left-hander Kirk Wetmore, who scattered four Davis hits.