Off the bat, it looked like Reece Marquez might’ve tied the game. His line drive to the right side looked like it might hit the turf in right field, which would have brought home Beckman Dvorak from second.
Instead, the ball went directly towards Columbia River second baseman Kian Siegel, who snagged the liner to end the game.
It was the perfect encapsulation of a maddening loss.
“That was a frustrating game to be a part of,” W.F. West coach Jesse Elam said.
The Bearcats had their chances on Wednesday against Columbia River, but couldn’t capitalize in a 2-1 loss in a 2A District 4 Semifinal.
A win would have put W.F. West back in the district title game for the fourth year in a row, but instead, the Bearcats will have to win twice on Saturday.
Marquez’s shot to second was far from the only hard-hit ball of the day for the Bearcats, and it was also far from the only solid defensive play that the Bobcats made.
Siegel made a sliding stop at second and threw out a runner at first, center fielder Zach Sims made a long running catch on a Gage Wiens drive to left-center field, and left fielder Luke Jenisch and shortstop Charley Eisenhauer connected on a relay to throw out Wyatt Hoffman at the plate on a double from Stafford that would have given W.F. West the lead in the third.
The Bearcats’ lone run came in the bottom of the first, when Stafford drilled an RBI single from the left side.
At other times, though, W.F. West didn’t help itself at the dish.
“We flew out 10 times,” Elam said. “That’s what it comes down to. Early in the game, swinging at pitches that we shouldn’t have been swinging at.”
Columbia River’s Tyler Head threw a complete game, allowing eight hits and a run while striking out two.
“That kid pitched a heck of a game,” Elam said.
What made the loss even more frustrating was that it was a pair of W.F. West miscues led to Columbia River’s two runs.
Connor Coleman struggled with his command in the first inning, but he got a ground ball that should have led to a 5-4-3 double play that ended the inning. Instead, the ball was bobbled, and the bases were loaded.
The next batter hit another ground out, but beat out the throw at first for an RBI fielder’s choice.
In the fourth, Greg Blau singled with one out, and he advanced to second on a wild pitch. He advanced to third on a groundout, and in the next at-bat, he sprinted home on another wild pitch to put the Rapids up 2-1.
“These types of games come down to one or two plays,” Elam said. “Not allowing base runners extra bases when you don’t have to, and we didn’t do that.”
Coleman settled in and pitched through the fifth, allowing three hits and two runs (one earned) while walking three and striking out six.
“He threw okay,” Elam said. “He’s got to calm down a little bit when he has runners on base. Throwing strikes is what it comes down to.”
A win not only would have put the Bearcats (19-4) through to the state tournament. Instead, they’ll now need to win two straight elimination games on Saturday on their home turf to earn a state bid.
In the first game of the day, W.F. West will face Ridgefield. Aberdeen will face R.A. Long after that matchup, and the two winners will meet in the final game of the day to determine who gets the final state berth.
“It’s just another chapter of our story for the season,” Elam said. “Just understanding that our goal is still in front of us. It’s gonna be a little bit tougher to get there now.”
