TOUTLE — There were several chances for the Toledo High School baseball team to cash in on Friday afternoon. They got the leadoff hitter on base in five of the seven frames. They put a runner in scoring position in all but one inning.
Baseball can be an unforgiving sport. And it was cruel to the Riverhawks' attempt at a perfect season.
Toledo stranded nine runners on base and couldn’t find the gaps with two outs in suffering their first loss of the spring, a 6-5 setback at the hands of Toutle Lake in a C2BL thriller on the Toutle diamond.
“It was a good high school baseball game and we gave them too many chances, you do that against a good team like Toutle, they’re gonna capitalize," Riverhawks assistant coach Bill Waag said. “We just have to get better. We got to be unselfish.”
Two of the contenders in the league ended up splitting the season series. Toledo (8-1, 7-1 C2BL) was already down head coach Mack Gaul and freshman Joaquin Acosta, a top of the lineup hitter and starting shortstop.
Both were suspended after getting ejected in Tuesday’s contest versus the Ducks. Still, the Riverhawks were close to erasing a three-run deficit.
A leadoff walk and a catcher’s interference called on Toutle’s Baylee Webb brought the tying run to the plate. Freshman Ryker Hansen pulled a double to left field that scored one to make it a 6-4 game. Two pitches later, Eli Weeks lined out to short and Hansen was doubled off.
He had a substantial lead off second and didn’t get back quick enough.
“He knows you freeze on a line drive and I told him we need your run and you got to make sure you’re going base-to-base,” Waag said. “He knows. He said ‘I messed up, coach.’ Those are parts of games that happen quickly and he needs to learn to regroup.”
Rohan Feigenbaum ended up scoring on a wild pitch a batter later. Then in the seventh, a pair of singles put the go-ahead run at the plate, but a routine fly ball ended the rally and Toledo’s run of eight straight wins.
The Ducks put on a mini celebration of screams and high-fives afterwards.
“They play the game the right way,” Waag said.
Toledo drew up a near perfect start. Nico Acosta and Brady Weeks registered back-to-back RBI singles and Braylen Lawrence drew an RBI walk to make it 3-0. It brought all nine batters to the plate and took advantage of two walks, two hit by pitches and an error.
Feigenbaum, fresh off a five-inning no-hitter against Morton-White Pass, went into a funk in the bottom of the second.
Toutle Lake batted around and put up a five-spot. An infield error kept the inning going and Easton White put the Ducks in front for good with a towering two-run single to straightaway center. Timber Buker notched an RBI single in the third as the vital insurance run.
“When I went out during the second inning, he mentioned he was a little tired,” Waag said of Feigenbaum. “He didn’t throw like Rohan can throw. Give them credit for putting the ball in play.”
Toledo only mustered two base runners in the third, fourth and fifth innings. Toutle didn’t fare much better with Riverhawks relief pitcher Isaac Parmantier tossing three frames of shutout ball with five strikeouts.
Acosta recorded two hits and Feigenbaum crossed home plate twice. The Riverhawks will take on Stadium on Saturday, then spring break puts a pause on the season. They’ll open a two-game set with Rainier on April 15.
“With all high school kids, they are always learning,” Waag said. “We’ll emphasize and try to get better and not make those mistakes again.”
