Sunday, Aug. 30, 2009

Dust Devils wrap up East title

By Jack Millikin, Herald staff writer

It's been one happy week for Fred Ocasio.

First, the Tri-City Dust Devils skipper earned Northwest League Manager of the Year honors earlier this week for the first time in his four-year managerial career.

Now, he's got another Eastern Division title to go with it.

The Dust Devils beat the Boise Hawks 3-1 on Saturday at Gesa Stadium to clinch a berth in the NWL championship against Salem-Keizer. It was Tri-City's second East title in three years, having beaten Boise to win the tiebreaker on the final day of the 2007 season.

"It's been a great season so far. We're hoping we can finish even better," said Ocasio, who has been a member of the Dust Devils since the franchise opened in Pasco in 2001. He was the hitting coach under Stu Cole (2001) and Ron Gideon (2002-2005) before taking over as manager in 2006.

"Give credit to the guys. We've got a 42-26 record, and they bust their butt every day," Ocasio said after Tri-City collected its team-record eighth-straight win. "We're playing our best baseball of the year. Hopefully, we can keep it going."

Games 1 and 2 of the best-of-5 NWL championship will be Sept. 7 and 8 at Gesa Stadium, both at 7:15 p.m. Tickets will be available at the Dust Devils ticket office daily beginning at 9 a.m. until the NWL series begins.

Game 3 will be held at Volcanoes Stadium in Keizer, Ore., on Sept. 9, followed by Games 4 and 5, if neccessary.

Tri-City starter Josh Hungerman and Boise starter Robert Hernandez waged a pitching duel through the first five innings in a 1-1 tie. But Jeremiah Sammy, the Dust Devils' hot-hitting second baseman, broke the game open with a two-strike, two-run single off reliever Eduardo Figueroa with two outs in the seventh to make it 3-1.

"This is big. I've never been able to celebrate like this," said Sammy, who is batting .392 (33-for-84) over his last 20 games to raise his average to .322. "I was 0-for-the day. I was lucky they had the infield in so I could punch it through."

Hungerman left after 52/3 innings and eight strikeouts, so it was up to the steady Tri-City bullpen to hold off the Hawks for the remaining three innings. Paul Bargas (2-1), Aaron Weatherford and closer Charlie Ruiz got the job done, combining to allow just one hit in 31/3 scoreless innings.

Hungerman, who scattered just three hits in his ninth start of the year, wasn't aware that Tri-City could clinch the division with a win.

"I didn't even know. I think that's the best thing," said Hungerman, a 17th-rounder out of Cleveland State.

Ruiz tossed a scoreless ninth to earn his NWL-leading 17th save. He walked Bobby Wagner to lead off the ninth but retired the next three batters he faced to shut Boise down.

"That was unbelievable. That was for real," said Ruiz, a 10th-round draft pick out of Long Beach State. "After the last out, to see my team rushing out towards me, everyone with smiles on their faces."

One of them was Kevin Clark, an outfielder in his fourth year in the Colorado Rockies organization who served a 50-game suspension earlier this year after testing positive for an amphetamine. Clark was a member of the 2007 club along with pitcher Sheng-An Kuo and was more than pleased to be a part of this celebration as well.

"I'm just excited for all the guys," said Clark, who was in a sprinter's crouch on the top dugout step before the final out, waiting to charge the mound. "It's just sweet redemption for me for everything that I've been through this year."

This time, Clark, Kuo and Ocasio will get a second shot at Salem-Keizer, which topped Tri-City 3-1 in the best-of-5 series in 2007.

"If we keep pitching the way we're pitching and moving the runners over on offense, we'll keep winning," Ocasio said.