VANCOUVER, Wash. — Wilder Baseball split its first two games at the fourth annual GSL Clackamas Community College/Clark College Invitational
Then the rain started falling in the Vancouver area, and now Wilder is waiting to see exactly how their summer will end.
The area team was scheduled to face the FCA Titans of Woodinville on Saturday evening, but all games at Clark College and Battleground High School were rained out.
Wilder manager Mike Politika said Saturday afternoon that he was waiting to hear from tournament organizers whether the area team of players from Sequim and Port Angeles would play the Titans today or move into bracket play.
Currently tied for second with the Titans in Pool G, Wilder would fall into the consolation bracket if Saturday’s games schedule isn’t played, as only the winners of each of the eight pools advance to the championship bracket.
Wilder opened the tournament with a 5-3 loss in nine innings to Showtime College Prep of Vancouver on Thursday at Battleground High School.
Wilder then bounced back with a 5-4 win over the Federal Way Warriors at Clark College on Friday.
Dusty Bates, Eathen Boyer and Evan Hurn each had two hits for Wilder, which totaled 10 hits in the win.
Hurn paced the attack with a triple, two runs and two RBIs. Bates doubled and scored, and Boyer stole two bases and scored a run.
Larsson Chapman added double and drove in two runs, and Zach Withrow and Curan Bradley each had one hit.
After Federal Way broke a 3-3 tie with a run in the top of the sixth, Wilder plated two runs in the bottom of the inning to take the lead for good.
That gave starter Tanner Rhodefer the win. The 2015 All-Peninsula Baseball MVP struck out eight and allowed nine hits and four runs in six innings.
The Warriors put up three runs in the third inning off Rhodefer, but Politika said it would have been worse had Rhodefer not worked his way out of the jam.
“Tanner pitched well. He made a few mistakes, when he was ahead in the count and they got some hits on a couple 0-2 counts,” Politika said.
“He definitely pitched not Tanner-like, but they were a good hitting team and he kept us in a good [position] to win.”
Brady Shimko pitched a scoreless seventh to earn a save.
In Thursday’s game, Wilder battled Showtime College Prep for nine innings before falling to the winner of the GSL College Showcase championship earlier this month.
“Showtime’s a great team,” Politika said.
“We had runners on third base it seemed all game, we just couldn’t get that clutch hit when we needed it.”
Travis Paynter started for Wilder and gave up two earned runs and six hits in 5 1/3 innings.
James Grubb relieved Paynter in the fifth and pitched brilliantly until Showtime scored its two ninth-inning runs, which tagged Grubb with the loss.
Grubb fanned sixth and allowed one hit while walking three batters in 3 2/3 innings on the mound.
Wilder finished with six hits, two coming from Brady Konopaski, who doubled and scored twice.
Boyer also doubled and drove in one run. Bates, Withrow and Gochnour contributed one hit apiece.
After playing with aluminum bats throughout the summer, Wilder is making the switch to wood bats for this weekend’s tournament, its last of the summer.
“It’s been fine,” Politika said. “I think the kids like hitting with wood.
“It’s definitely a different style of game, but I think the guys are enjoying it.”
Wilder had earned a spot at the Senior Babe Ruth Pacific Northwest Regional tournament in Calgary, which concluded Saturday, but opted out in favor of playing in the Clackamas Community College/Clark College Invitational.
“It was the organization’s decision to put our kids in the best tournament possible to finish the season,” Politika said.
Thursday’s Game
Showtime College Prep 5, Wilder 3, 9 innings
Showtime 0 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 2 — 5 7 2
Wilder 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 — 3 6 2
LP- Grubb
Pitching Statistics
Wilder: Paynter 5 1/3 IP, 3 R, 2 ER, 6 H, 2 BB; Grubb 3 2/3 IP, 2 R, H, 6 K, 3 BB.
Hitting Statistics
Wilder: Konopaski 2-4, 2B, 2 R; Boyer 1-4, 2B, RBI; Bates 1-4, R; Withrow 1-4, Gochnour 1-3.
Friday’s Game
Wilder 5, Federal Way 4
Federal Way 0 0 3 0 0 1 0 — 4 9 1
Wilder 1 0 0 2 0 2 0 — 5 10 0
WP- Rhodefer, SV- Shimko
Pitching Statistics
Wilder: Rhodefer 6 IP, 4 R, 9 H, 8 K, 2 BB; Shimko IP, 0 R, 0 H, BB.
Hitting Statistics
Wilder: Hurn 2-3, 3B, 2 R, 2 RBI; Bates 2-3, 2B, R; Boyer 2-3, R, 2 SB; Chapman 1-2, 2B, 2 RBI; Gochnour 1-3, 2B, R; Withrow 1-3; Bradley 1-2.
