University rains runs on rival

The game had barely begun, University baseball players found themselves staring at a four-run deficit at home against Central Valley.

It didn’t take long – one-half inning to be exact – before the Titans were ahead and on their way to a soggy 13-7 victory and two-day sweep of their district rivals.

Wednesday’s lone Greater Spokane League game – the remainder were played as Tuesday doubleheaders, but U-Hi and CV preferred playing home and home – wasn’t a work of art by either team.

Some of it was because of the weather. A light, but steady drizzle throughout the afternoon made things a bit treacherous for pitchers and infielders.

But the Titans (6-2) overcame it to move into a share of third place with Ferris behind Mt. Spokane (9-1) and Mead (7-1).

“If you said we’d be 6-2 at this point in the season,” said first-year head coach Scott Sutherland, “I would have taken it.”

CV (4-6), which so far this year has swept Gonzaga Prep and split games with Mead and Ferris, is part of a multiteam log jam behind them at the midpoint of its GSL season.

The Bears came out swinging against U-Hi starter Danny Jordan, banging out three hits that, coupled with passed balls and wild pitches, produced a 4-0 lead.

But their pitchers walked nine Titans and hit two others during the game to hurt their cause.

Starter Trevor Shull couldn’t find the plate in the first inning and the Titans parlayed four of those walks, a hit batter and four wild pitches into a 5-4 lead.

Back-to-back doubles by Kyle Barker and sophomore Michael Holmes increased the lead to three runs in the third inning, before the teams took a break to dry out the field.

When the game resumed, Bears designated hitter Rusty Shellhorn greeted Jordan with a fourth-inning leadoff home run and Alex Banderas tied the game with a two-run single.

U-Hi regained the lead in the bottom of the inning and played add-on, including a four-run sixth as Holmes singled home two more.

Jordan, a junior but the graybeard on a pitching staff that includes five sophomores, worked out of a fifth-inning jam and blanked CV thereafter. He struck out five over the final three innings.

“I didn’t have my best stuff at all and my arm got a little cold (during the rain delay),” he said. “It was tough to get focused.”

Three of U-Hi’s sophomores were in the lineup as position players. Staff ace Billy Moon is in center field when not pitching. Two played the middle infield, Jacob Olsufka at shortstop and second baseman Holmes who was making his first start.

“He’s kind of our guy out of the bullpen and I was leery of putting him on the field because of injury,” said Sutherland. “But he was hitting well in practice and I don’t know why I didn’t think about this sooner.”

Moon had two infield hits and scored three runs. Olsufka led off and scored twice.

“The thing about this bunch is they just don’t panic,” said Sutherland. “They’re very mature for how many young kids we have.”