Rural Baseball Inc. took down the Vancouver Pilots Thursday morning in Kelso by a narrow 2-1 victory in the first round of the Southwest Washington 16-18 Senior Babe Ruth State Tournament.
Things stayed knotted up at 0-0 for the Dirtbags through four and a half innings, but the breakaway occurred in the bottom of the fifth when the Dirtbags’ Austin Chapman (Napavine) hit a hard ground ball at the second baseman, causing an error and a run to score. Later on in the inning Chapman would score from third on a Gavin Frewing (Toledo) sacrifice fly to center field to help put RBI up 2-0.
The Pilots answered immediately, scoring a run on a fielder's choice with one out. However this is where the Pilot momentum ended, as the Dirtbags hung on to the one-run lead.
Tre Groninger (Oakville) got the start for RBI, throwing five innings while allowing three hits and striking out nine.
“Tre's confidence on the mound is a huge factor for his success,” RBI coach J.C. Workman said. “The way he carries himself and wants to go at every hitter with no fear is why he is an excellent ball player.”
Blake Howard (PWV) finished 1 for 3 at the plate with a run.
