The W.F. West baseball team finally got to take the field in a rainstorm in Ridgefield on Friday, and the Bearcats beat Othello 3-2 and Anacortes 13-9 to advance to the Baseballism Kickoff Classic Championship Game.
The Bearcats had to come back from late deficits in both games, starting with a 2-1 deficit in the bottom of the seventh against Othello.
Connor Coleman and Hayden Rooney did their part in keeping W.F. West in the game by allowing just two runs on the bump.
In his first start back from ACL surgery, Coleman was touching the high 80s with his fastball, and he allowed just one hit and struck out seven across three and two-thirds innings.
“He looked outstanding,” W.F. West coach Jesse Elam said.
Rooney allowed four hits and two earned runs across the final three and a third.
After the first batter was recorded to start the bottom of the seventh, three straight Bearcats reached thanks to a single and two hit batters to load the bases.
Miles Martin drew a walk to bring home the tying run, and Beckman Dvorak hit a walk-off single to send W.F. West through to the tournament semifinals.
In the semi against Anacortes, the Bearcats and Seahawks went back-and-forth through the first few innings.
They were tied at five after two, but Anacortes scored four across the next two innings to take a 9-5 lead.
W.F. West saved its best for last, though, as they scored eight in the bottom of the sixth to turn a four-run deficit into a four-run lead.
The first run of the inning came across on an error, the next two scored on bases-loaded walks, and two more came across to give the Bearcats the lead.
“We put pressure on them,” Elam said. “We made a few adjustments at the plate. When we finally did make those adjustments, we looked really good.”
Deacon Meller brought across two more with a single, and Ross Kelley added another insurance run with an RBI single of his own.
Race Rockey pitched the third and final inning of his outing in the seventh to seal the game.
“That was a lot of fun,” Elam said. “We played two really good teams today, two teams that will most likely be in state. Those are some quality wins for us. Our kids never quit, and they battled. They showed a little bit of toughness today playing in that downpour.”
Grady Westlund and Martin were the Bearcats’ first two pitchers, and though they struggled, Elam is confident that they’ll bounce back quickly and settle in as the season gets going.
“They’re gonna be two of our main guys all year,” Elam said.
The Bearcats will be back at the RORC on Saturday at 3 p.m., when they’ll face the winner between Fife and Ridgefield in the tournament championship game.
