YAKIMA — The Chimacum Cowboys team didn’t get what they came for. But don’t expect them to give back the team’s second Class 1A state baseball trophy in three years.
Chimacum rebounded from a disappointing 13-5 loss to Naches Valley in the state semifinals on Friday with an 18-4 pasting of Cashmere on Saturday at Yakima County Stadium to claim third place in Class 1A.
It was the Cowboys’ second piece of state hardware in three years, including the 2007 team’s state title.
“When you lose that first game there, that’s disappointing,” Chimacum coach Loren Bishop said. “Now that it’s all over and you tell me we got first and third in three years. . . I’m pretty damn proud.”
The Cowboys (18-5 overall) fell victim on Friday to the same thing that carried them on Saturday . . . namely, the big inning.
In Friday’s semifinal loss it was a nine-run second inning that saw Naches Valley send 13 batters to the plate against Chimacum pitchers Quinn Eldridge and Austin McConnell. The Rangers added four more the next inning to take a commanding 13-2 lead that would never be challenged.
Chimacum stranded 10 runners in scoring position on the game, managing only five runs despite belting out 14 hits.
“We actually didn’t get out played as far as the whole game goes, we got outplayed in the second inning,” Bishop said. “They got us and they kind of buried us.
“They kept plugging away. We just couldn’t get anything across home plate when we needed to.”
Chimacum had no problem doing that in the second game, however.
With Nisqually League MVP Landon Cray on the mound holding Cashmere at bay, the Cowboys bashed 17 hits with four players putting together multi-hit games (Cray, Chance Eldridge, Dylan Dukek and John Modispatcher).
They pretty much put the game away in the top of the fourth with a seven-run inning, but they added eight more in the seventh just for good measure.
“I think they went out with a mission, knowing what they wanted to do,” Bishop said. “I don’t know if they had something to prove. I think they’ve already proven themselves over the season.
“I do think they had a kind of a lump in their throat from the [loss on Friday]. That didn’t sit real well with them. They had a little revenge factor. It just happened to be that Cashmere was their next opponent, so they took it out on them.”
Chimacum graduates four seniors from this year’s team in Chance Eldridge, John Modispatcher, Ivan Evasick and Elijah Roulst. Each was part of the 2007 state championship team, making them the only class to have won two state trophies in school history.
“You’re excited and happy for the kids, but there’s a part of you that has a lump in your throat, because this is the last time you’re going to coach these kids,” Bishop said. “They grew a lot over the years by being able to do this.”
And so did the rest of the team, which includes 12 players that will return next season. They just might make a habit of this state trophy thing.
Naches Valley 13, Chimacum 5
Naches Valley 0 9 4 0 0 0 0 – 13 16 1
Chimacum 0 2 1 2 0 0 0 — 5 14 2
WP- Flory; LP- Q. Eldridge
Pitching Statistics
Chimacum: Q. Eldridge 1.1IP, 4ER; McConnell 5.2IP, 7K, 7ER.
Hitting Statistics
Chimacum: Cray 2-4; C. Eldridge 2-4; Dukek 2-3 (RBI); Modispacher 3-4 (2B, RBI).
Naches Valley: Mills 3-4 (2R, RBI); Wilcox 2-4 (2B, 2R, 2RBI); Gillespie 2-5 (2 2B, 2RBI); Ranger 2-4 (2R); J.R. Weigel 3-4 (2R, RBI); Chris Walker 2-5.
Chimacum 18, Cashmere 4
Chimacum 3 0 0 7 0 0 8 – 18 17 2
Cashmere 0 0 0 0 2 2 0 — 4 8 4
WP- Cray; LP- Miller
Pitching Statistics
Chimacum: Cray 5.1IP, 3K, 4BB, 4ER, 7 hits; Q. Eldridge 1.2IP, 2K, BB, hit, HBP.
Hitting Statistics
Chimacum: Cray 4-5 (2RBI); C. Eldridge 2-4 (4RBI); Dukek 3-5 (3RBI); McConnell 2-5; Modispatcher 2-5 (2B, 3RBI).
