There was plenty of baseball played at Wheeler Field on Wednesday, as Centralia hosted Rural Baseball Inc.
Good baseball might be taking it a step too far. But if quantity can at least equal quality, Centralia’s 16-15 walkoff win — featuring 31 runs, 27 total hits, 28 total strikeouts, 20 total walks, and 16 total errors — was up there with Domingo Germán’s perfect game in Oakland.
And with the two teams of high schoolers deep in the summer season of tune-ups and experience-building, that’s not as absurd a thing to say as it could be.
“Honestly, we’re getting out of this summer what we need,” Centralia coach Jake LeDuc said. “We need some guys to get at-bats, we need some guys to get innings on the mound. Of course we want to win, but at the end of the day, the outcome is what it is. As long as we’re getting innings, we’re getting guys in.”
Centralia, which led by as many as eight runs early on, saw the Dirtbags charge back in the later innings, and went into the bottom of the ninth trailing by a run at 15-14. It was only so close thanks to rising junior John Leedy, who came into a freefall and righted the ship, ending a string of three straight crooked numbers by RBI to put up a crucial zero and keep the Dirtbags where they were.
“He’s been solid for us,” LeDuc said.
Still, the Centralians needed a run to tie and two to go home coming to the plate for their last cracks.
Jonah Lowe led off with a walk, and went to second on a sacrifice bunt with the top of the order coming up, but Toledo’s Gavin Frewing got a huge strikeout to put two down in the frame.
But just when it looked like the RBI bus might ramble into the station after a long and winding road, the Dirtbags fell apart. Kellen Rooklidge hit a routine grounder that was muffed, allowing Lowe to score. The next batter, Marcus Miller, hit another easy hopper, and while this one was fielded cleanly, the throw to first went wild, and Rooklidge walked home from second to end the night.
Leedy earned the win on the hill, ending a four-pitcher outing for the Hub City boys that began with five frames out of Miller, who allowed five runs — only one of them earned — and struck out eight.
Opposite that, RBI sent out a full-fledged bullpen day, with Tre Groninger (Oakville), Garrett Keeton (PWV), Kyrn Meehan (Winlock), Jake Comer (Mossyrock), Josh Ellis (Rainier, Ore.), and Frewing all taking the mound.
Frewing added a 4-for-6 day at the plate for the Dirtbags, complete with two doubles. Napavine’s Austin Chapman also was 4 for 6, and stole three bases.
Miller had two knocks for Centralia, while Rooklidge went 0 for 2 but scored four runs thanks to four walks and the first error in the seventh.
