Freeman’s bid derailed by Hoquiam

YAKIMA – Freeman’s chances for an unlikely state-title triple crown fell victim to the erratic but dominant pitching of Hoquiam’s Kyle Standstipher at County Stadium on Friday in a 4-0 semifinal defeat at the State 1A baseball tournament.

The Scotties came to Yakima with a chance to add the baseball title to the previously cached football and wrestling titles. But Standstipher allowed just four hits and struck out 15 to squash the hopes for a third title in a single school year.

The Scotties will play Cashmere this morning at 10 o’clock in the consolation game. The teams met in each of the last two regular seasons with Cashmere winning both times.

Freeman – a team that had scored 41 runs in its last six games – couldn’t get anything going against the hulking Standstipher in the first five innings but it wasn’t because the Scotties didn’t have chances.

The senior right-hander struck out seven but walked five in the first four innings. The Scotties had a man as far as second in each of the first three frames but couldn’t get a run across and trailed 4-0.

“We knew he (Standstipher) was a strikeout pitcher and the goal was to win the freebie war,” Freeman coach Chad Ripke said. “We did OK there but we couldn’t get the clutch hit.”

Ripke said he has surprised that his team couldn’t get anything going until late.

“We didn’t even get the barrel on the ball,” he said. “He had our number. You have to tip your hat to him and to Hoquiam.”

Jack Paukert broke up the no-hitter with a sharp single to left field with one out in the sixth and Jake Phipps followed with a single to right field. Standstipher eventually got out of the jam with two strikeouts but not without adding a walk to Desmond Parisotto to load the bases and make it interesting.

The score  could have been worse. The Grizzlies missed on a squeeze bunt attempt and had a man thrown out at the plate in the second inning. A double by Garrett Bradley plated one run but minutes later Bradley was ejected for throwing an elbow when he was thrown out trying to score on a play at the plate.

In the third inning, Hoquiam scored two runs on just one hit – a double by Standstipher.

2B

Colfax 4, Toledo 2: Colfax advanced to today’s title game with a 4-2 win over Toledo at Wheeler Field in Centralia.

Colfax will play Adna in the championship at 1 p.m. Adna advanced with a 10-1 win over DeSales.