Tigers defeat Lions

The late-season surge by the Lewis and Clark baseball team continued Tuesday.

Dakota Dubois, Lewis and Clark’s No. 8 batter, hit a grand slam and right-handed pitcher Dean Neilson survived a season-high 10 walks as the Tigers handled the Kennewick Lions 9-1 in a 4A regional play-in game at Hart Field.

LC had doubled its lead to 4-0 earlier in the third inning just before Dubois stepped to the plate with the bases loaded. He was planning on swinging immediately if he got the pitch he was looking for.

Sure enough, Dubois spanked a fastball over the left-field fence to double LC’s score and the Tigers cruised thereafter.

“I don’t really remember seeing the pitch, but I just told myself first-pitch fastball and don’t swing at a curve,” Dubois said.

Despite inconsistency in finding the strike zone, Neilson had a no-hitter going through five innings. After he allowed his 10th walk, Kennewick’s Adam Munoz reached base on a bad-hop hit that got under the glove of shortstop Josh Martin.

LC coach Dexter Davis said afterward that had no other Lion recorded a hit, he would have reversed the call and given Martin an error to preserve a no-hitter. No matter, Drew Loftus reached to open the seventh on the hardest struck ball by a Kennewick player.

Twice Kennewick had the bases loaded – thanks largely to the walks – but both times Neilson, thanks to some solid defense behind him, got out of the jams.

District 7 2B

Colfax 16, Lind-Ritzville 1: J.J. Robinson got things going with a three-run triple in the second inning and the Bulldogs (22-0) coasted to a win in the championship game against the Broncos (12-9) at Avista Stadium. The Bulldogs advance to state and play Soap Lake at 1 p.m. Saturday at Shadle Park. The Broncos play Kittitas at 10 a.m. in Walla Walla.

Springdale 15, St. George’s 6: Rodney Abrahamson went 3 for 4 with a double and six RBIs and the Chargers (17-3) scored six runs in the sixth inning to put away the Dragons (16-7) at Avista Stadium. The Chargers move on to the state tournament as the No. 3 seed from District 7, playing DeSales at 1 p.m. Saturday in Walla Walla.

Colfax 14, St. George’s 0: The Bulldogs shut out the Dragons behind a no-hitter from Brandon Hoadley.

Lind-Ritzville 17, Springdale 8: Jacob Scholfstoll had two hits and four RBIs and the Broncos scored nine in the seventh inning to beat the Chargers.