Seattle University took the early lead, and then held off Bakersfield’s attempts at a comeback as the Redhawks defeated the Roadrunners, 9-3, Friday night to advance to the championship round of the 2015 Western Athletic Conference Baseball Tournament, held at Hohokam Stadium.
The Redhawks jumped on Bakersfield starter James Barragan in the bottom of the first inning, as Landon Cray (Chimacum, Wash.) laced the first pitch he saw into right field for a single, and Dalton Hurd (Bend, Ore.) followed with a two-run home run over the left-field fence, his fourth of the season.
With one out in the second inning, Grant Newton (Bend, Ore.) hit a bouncer up the middle for a single, and then he advanced to second on a groundout. Michael McCann (Vancouver, Wash.) drove Newton in with a single to left-center field.
Cray followed with a single, and Hurd sent a line drive over the head of the Bakersfield second baseman to drive in McCann with the Redhawks’ fourth run of the game. After Brian Olson (Black Diamond, Wash.) drew a walk to load the bases, Sheldon Stober (Kent, Wash.) did the same thing, forcing in Cray.
Griffin Andreychuk (Nanaimo, B.C.) led off the third inning with a single, Newton was hit by a pitch, and both runners advanced into scoring position on a wild pitch. McCann took advantage of a drawn-in infield, hitting a 3-2 pitch up the middle for a single that drove in both runners to increase the Redhawk lead to 7-0 and chase Barragan from the game.
Bakersfield (33-22-1) broke through in the fifth inning, as Mylz Jones drew a leadoff walk and was able to reach second base on a Redhawk error. Jones advanced to third on a deep flyout to center field and scored on a single through the left side of the infield by Kris Cayton.
David Metzgar led off the sixth inning for the Roadrunners with an infield single, and Jones followed with a single of his own. Both runners advanced into scoring position on a wild pitch, Soloman Williams hit a sacrifice fly to deep center field that scored Metzgar and advanced Jones to third, and Logan Trowbridge followed with a single to left field that drove in Jones.
Tarik Skubal (Kingman, Ariz.) earned the victory after pitching the first six innings, while Ted Hammond (Shoreline, Wash.) picked up his third save of the season with a two-hit performance over the final three innings. The Redhawks added two insurance runs in the eighth inning as Olson drove in Cray with a single and Brock Carpenter (Milton, Wash.) hit a bases-loaded single that scored Hurd.
“We had a great plan against him (Barragan) after facing him earlier this season in Bakersfield, and the guys did a great job of being ready to hit early in the count. It gave Tarik a chance to relax and pitch his game,” Seattle U head coach Donny Harrel said. “I think the guys pressed a little bit when they (Bakersfield) started to push back, but Ted was a good savior for us, using his veteran leadership to settle everything down and help us clinch the win.”
Barragan took the loss for the Roadrunners after allowing eight hits, two walks, and seven runs in 2 1/3 innings of work. Bakersfield reliever Nick Dermenjian kept his team in the game, not allowing a hit from the fourth inning until there were two outs in the seventh inning.
McCann led the Redhawks offensively, going 3-for-4 with three RBI, while Cray, Hurd, and Newton each went 2-for-4, with Cray scoring three runs, Newton scoring two runs, and Hurd scoring twice and driving in three runs. Jones paced the Roadrunners with a 2-for-3 performance with two runs scored, while Metzgar also collected two hits in the game.
Seattle University (31-25) will face either Sacramento State or Bakersfield Saturday, May 23, at 7 p.m., depending on who wins the elimination game between the Hornets and Roadrunners at 3 p.m. With a victory either Saturday night or Sunday afternoon, the Redhawks will win the WAC Baseball Tournament and advance to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1954.
“We started this season talking about treating every game like a championship, so tomorrow is just another game for us even though we know there is more at stake. We are in a great position tomorrow, and hopefully we will play tomorrow’s game like we have played the previous 56 games,” added Harrel.