Going back and forth with Rochester on the road Wednesday afternoon, the Centralia baseball tied it up in the seventh, and scored three deciding runs in an extra inning to take down the Warriors in a 2A Evergreen Conference matchup, 11-8.
The Tigers struck first in the top of the opening inning, but a quick, 3-0 run saw that lead disappear heading into the fourth after some untimely errors and walks.
But the Centralia bats never quite went away, scoring four runs in the fourth, and again after falling behind by two runs, doing just enough to tie it up and send it into extras in the seventh.
In the eighth inning, the Tigers showed some discipline at the plate, as the Warriors walked in the game-winning run, and another error led to two more runs and the 11-8 lead.
“We walked 13 and hit five, that's 18 free passes,” Rochester coach Brad Quarnstrom said.
“It makes it tough to win ball games. The hardest part of it was, all the pitchers at times looked great. They competed their tails off, but were inconsistent. It was one of those days, we couldn’t find a way to seal the deal.”
Brady Sprague then shut the door in the bottom of the eighth, including a pop out, a dropped third strike, and a fly out to end it.
Tucker Weaver got the start for Centralia and tossed the first five innings, allowing eight runs, with seven earned, on six hits and three walks with another six strikeouts. Sprague pitched the final three innings, allowing just one hit and walking three with two punchouts.
At the plate, Landen Jenkins went 2 for 5 with four RBIs and a double, and Mason Miller went 0 for 1, but was walked three times and scored three runs.
Rochester’s Braden Hartley got the start on the mound for the other side, and pitched an up-and-down 4 2/3 innings. The senior allowed six earned runs on four hits and seven walks, but also struck out 10.
Ethan Rodriguez went 2 for 4 at leadoff with a run scored and an RBI on a double, and Hartley was walked two times, went 1 for 1, and scored three runs.
“We executed fairly well offensively, we did some small ball stuff really well,” Quarnstrom said. “We were able to move runners along offensively, but anytime you keep giving away free passes, you’re going to run out chances to keep up.
“Our league has to be one of the toughest 2A leagues in the state, if not the toughest. Every night is a dogfight.”
Rochester takes on Shelton on the road Friday for its next game while the Tigers play Black Hills at Wheeler Field.
