PORT ANGELES — A combination of too many freebies in the field and not enough production at the plate did in Wilder Junior in a 13-2 five-inning loss in the opening game of the Senior Babe Ruth state tournament at Civic Field.
In the nightcap of Friday’s action, Lakeside Recovery shutout Wilder Junior 10-0.
Wilder committed five errors in the field and yielded 10 walks to the Columbia Basin Desert Dogs in a less than stellar start to the tournament.
Wilder also managed just three hits at the plate in the blowout.
“I think we had nine games in about six or seven days last week so we gave the boys a little time off, and boy, they were a little lackluster in this one,” said Wilder Junior assistant coach Buck Gieseke.
“We need to get the bats going and get the defense a little spruced up before the next game.”
Wilder did hold an early lead, 1-0 after the top of the first inning.
Alex Morris walked and stole second and moved to third base on the throw to first after a Nigel Christian grounder to third.
Morris scored when the throw back to the third base bag by Columbia Basin first baseman Issac Wersland was wild.
Wilder Junior starting pitcher Dan Harker struggled from the start.
He plunked Columbia Basin leadoff batter Sheldon Kosa and followed that up with walks to Jesse Ward and Austin Merdock.
Kosa scored on a Wersland fielder’s choice.
Harker then attempted to pick off Wersland at first base but the throw was low and scooted past Wilder first baseman Lane Dotson, plating Ward.
Cooper Larson later lined an RBI single up the middle to give the Desert Dogs a 3-1 lead after one inning.
Columbia Basin put the game well out of reach in the next frame, batting around in the order and putting nine runs on the scoreboard.
Harker recorded just one out in the second before being chased by the Desert Dogs.
He allowed a Zach Askin bunt single to open the inning and Spencer Vela reached base on a throwing error.
After a sacrifice bunt moved the runners over, Askin scored when a throw to home plate went wide.
Harker then allowed a walk to load the bases and consecutive bases-loaded walks, followed by a second RBI single in as many at-bats by Larson.
He left the game with Wilder Junior trailing 7-1.
Wilder’s James Thayer came on in relief and promptly plunked the first batter he faced to force home another Columbia Basin run.
Thayer forced Askin to pop to short in his second at bat of the inning but Columbia Basin wasn’t finished.
Vela nailed a three-run triple to the gap in right field to score a run. Vela then scored the ninth and final run of the inning on a Wilder error to five the Desert Dogs a 12-1 lead.
Wilder scored its other run in the top of the fourth.
Dotson walked and Harker reached base on a fielder’s choice. Harker stole second and reached third on a Columbia Basin throwing error, and then Adam Iseri-Fuji plated Harker with a sacrifice fly to right field.
Columbia Basin scored its final run in the bottom half of the inning when Thayer allowed a walk with the bases loaded.
Columbia Basin 13, Wilder Junior 2
Wilder Junior 1 0 0 1 0 — 2 3 5
Columbia Basin 3 9 0 1 x —13 6 2
WP- Nielson; LP- Harker
Pitching Statistics
Columbia Basin: Nielson 5 IP, 4 K, 2 BB, 3 H, 2 R, 0 ER.
Wilder Junior: Harker 1 1/3 IP, 4 H,0 R, 7 ER, 1 K, 6 BB; Thayer 2 2/3 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 ER.
Hitting Statistics
Columbia Basin: Larson 3-3, 2 RBI, R; Vela 1-2, 3B, 3 RBI, R.
Wilder Junior: Dotson 1-1; Christian, RBI; Iseri Fuji, RBI.
