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Tigers go OT for district title

LC stuns GSL champ G-Prep in 12 innings

Lewis and Clark third baseman Patrick Smith gobbles up a ground all as Gonzaga Prep’s Kevin Thomas heads toward third base in the fourth inning on Monday’s 12-inning, 3-1 Tigers win at Avista Stadium. (Dan Pelle)
Lewis and Clark third baseman Patrick Smith gobbles up a ground all as Gonzaga Prep’s Kevin Thomas heads toward third base in the fourth inning on Monday’s 12-inning, 3-1 Tigers win at Avista Stadium. (Dan Pelle)Buy a print of this photo
By Thomas Clouse tomc@spokesman.com(509) 459-5495

In a game for the ages, Lewis and Clark and Gonzaga Prep squared off in a District 4A baseball game at Avista Stadium that seemed destined to last forever.

But the Tigers pulled a massive upset and beat Greater Spokane League champion Gonzaga Prep 3-1 in a 12-inning thriller.

“That was a great high school baseball game,” LC coach Steve Bennett said. “They played awfully tough against a great high school baseball team.”

The game started in the warm sun and ended 3 1/2 hours later in winter coats for those lucky enough to pack them.

The Bullpups’ Steven Machtolf and the Tigers’ Karver Pate threw one-run gems that finally ended after eight innings and 11 strikeouts for Pate and nine innings for Machtolf.

Lewis and Clark got the scoring started in the first inning when Hunter Lee hit a sacrifice fly that scored the Tigers’ first run.

That run would stand until Gonzaga Prep’s Brendan McClary pulled off a suicide squeeze bunt in the bottom of the sixth inning to score Kevin Thomas, who had tripled.

In the top of the 11th , relief pitcher Cael McKeirnan loaded the bases. LC’s Connor Eakin hit a sharp grounder that bounced off the second baseman’s glove and was caught in the air by Gonzaga Prep’s Brendan McClary.

He tagged second and threw to first for a double play to keep the game tied.

But with two down in the top of the 12th inning, Pate hit a 3-2 pitch to center field to score two runs to put the Tigers up 3-1 for the winning margin.

“They don’t get any bigger than this. That was 12 innings of adversity,” Bennett told his team. “We haven’t been district champions in about 30 years.”

The Tigers (14-7, 13-6) will now host the regionals on Saturdaay.

Gonzaga Prep (18-3, 17-2) will play at 5 p.m. today against the Ferris Saxons, who won 5-2 over the Central Valley Bears in the first game Tuesday.

In that game, the Bears jumped all over Ferris pitcher Griffin Davis to start the game.

The first run was actually self-inflicted as Davis walked Austin Bergdahl with the bases loaded. The Bears’ Trey Carolan then smacked a base hit that scored another run.

Davis then got Connor Boyle to ground out to first base to end the CV threat. Davis then went to work. He ended up striking out eight and gave up only one more hit the rest of the way for a complete-game win.

“That last six innings was the best he’s thrown all year,” Ferris coach Jim Sharkey said.

The Saxons (12-9, 11-8) took the lead for good when Adam Beaulaurier hit a deep fly to center that scored Tanner Parker and Logan Johnston, a pinch runner who scored all the way from second base.

The game ended the season for CV (9-11, 9-10).

District 7 2B

Garrett Burke drove in three runs to help Colfax beat Northwest Christian 4-3 and earn the District 7 2B No. 1 seed. Burke had a two-run double in the fifth inning before driving in the winner with an RBI-single in the sixth. Northwest Christian later defeated Davenport 9-3 in the game to determine the second and third seeds.