HOQUIAM — RBI Baseball came up short in both ends of a doubleheader here Wednesday, as Hoquiam’s Spradlin Rock Hawks topped the rural squad 6-0 and 10-9.
In the nightcap, beneath the buzzing lights of Olympic Stadium, Skyler Town pitched his team to almost assured victory with the longest outing of his career. Exiting after five innings, Towns was in position to secure his first win on the mound as RBI held a 7-3 lead.
The happy ending was not meant to be. Tim Seybert came in to relieve Towns and retired the first two batters of the inning before walking the third. Three consecutive errors later the Hawks had one run in and the bases loaded. Four hits later the home team had plated seven runs in a row and taken a 10-7 lead.
RBI, however, got a two-run double from Roberto Patraca with two outs before a pop-fly to the pitcher ended the game.
"It's a real shame that we weren't able to hold down that victory for Skyler Towns," said RBI coach Jordan Nailon. "He is a gutsy lefty, a hard worker, and a great teammate. I know everyone of these guys wanted to seal the deal for him. It just wasn't meant to be."
Each RBI starter scored one run in the contest, while Patraca and Isaiah Akesson each notched two hits and two RBIs. Shawn Godinho scratched out two hits for RBI as well.
In the early game Sam Fagerness ran into some bad luck on the bump as his team fell 6-0 to Hoquiam. Fagerness, making his first appearance on the mound of the summer, threw six innings, allowing three earned runs and four hits while striking out five.
"He was very composed out there," said Nailon. "He is just a baseball savvy ballplayer. He thinks like a catcher on the mound."
Skyler Jump, Hoquiam's junior-to-be standout hurler, lined up opposite of Fagerness for Hoquiam and threw another one of his patented gem performances. Jump allowed just one hit — to Fagerness — and a total of four baserunners in the contest.
"We just let too many first-pitch fastballs go by today, so he was ahead in the count for the duration," said Nailon. "Jump throws a real nasty changeup as well, so our bats were kind of tied in knots. I tip my cap to the young man."
RBI will play in the Fourth of July Classic tournament in Longview and Kelso this weekend, with pool play games starting at 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Friday at Mark Morris High School.
