Saturday, May. 09, 2009

Baseball roundup: Lions advance in playoff

By the Herald staff

MOSES LAKE -- This is what Kennewick baseball coach A.J. Marquardt had been saving Tony Bryant for all season.

Bryant, a senior right-hander who has signed with Oregon State, scattered five hits and struck out 10 over seven innings Friday to lead the Lions to a 3-1 victory over Moses Lake at Big Bend CC in the first game of a two-game Columbia Basin Big Nine Columbia Division tiebreaking playoff.

The win propels Kennewick (15-6) into a 1 p.m. game today at Richland against Southridge to decide the top two seeds to the district playoffs.

Moses Lake (14-7) gets the No. 3 seed and a first-round, loser-out home game Tuesday against Walla Walla (6-12).

Marquardt had been limiting Bryant's work during the season, holding him to just 27 1/3 innings to keep him fresh for the postseason.

"This was a big game for us, and he came out and threw real well against a real tough team," Marquardt said. "They put together a good seventh inning, put pressure on him, and he responded real well."

Now, the Lions must respond to the pressure against a Suns team they swept eight days ago. The winner gets the No. 1 seed and the right to be a host site for Friday's district games.

It also avoids a second-round, loser-out game against either the Wa-Hi/Moses Lake winner or the winner of Tuesday's other first-round game between Davis and Eastmont.

"In this district format, it's a huge advantage to get the No. 1 seed," Marquardt said. "Any time you play anybody in the Tri-Cities, records go out the window, what you did previously against them goes out the window. It's a new day, a fresh battle. I anticipate a good game."

Kennewick 3, Moses Lake 1

Kennewick 000 030 0 -- 3 6 0

Moses Lake 000 000 1 -- 1 5 1

Tony Bryant and Tyler Morfin; Brock Lybbert, Mitch Yada (7) and Matt Harris. Highlights--Bryant (K) 10K; French (K) 2x3, RBI; Gordon (K) 1x4, 2 RBI; Trek Stemp (K) 2x3; Dakota Tripp (K) 2x3, Dylan Signorelli (ML) 2x3; Kyle Hickman (ML) 1x2, 2B, RBI.

Connell 14-4, Royal 0-1

CONNELL -- Nate Eppich pitched a no-hitter and blasted two home runs in Game 1, and Connell swept Royal en route to securing a share of the SCAC East title for the second straight year.

Royal 000 00 -- 0 0 3

Connell 390 2x -- 14 14 0

Garza, Vermeer (3) and Paysse; Nate Eppich and Ethan Dillon. Highlights--Noe Marroquin (C) 2x3, 2B, 4 RBI; Eppich (C) 4x4, 2 HR, 5 RBI; Ridge Taylor (C) 3x4, HR; Chandler Salisbury (C) 2x2, 2B, HR.

Royal 100 000 0 -- 1 6 3

Connell 100 030 x -- 4 7 2

W. Christensen and Paysse; Brad Berry and Dillon. Highlights--Whitaker (R) 2x3, 2B; Eppich (C) HR; Jacob Fox (C) 2x3, 2 RBI.

Ki-Be 9, Warden 0

BURBANK -- Corey Brundridge and Matt Mason combined on a one-hitter as Kiona-Benton won a tiebreaker for the SCAC East's final district berth.

The Bears travel to West champion Naches Valley in the first round Tuesday.

Warden 000 000 0 -- 0 1 4

Kiona-Benton 351 000 x -- 9 11 1

Abraham Mendiola, Michael Smith (2) and Robert Pruneda; Corey Brundridge, Matt Mason (5) and Mike Salyers. Highlights--Brundridge (KB) 2x3; Mason (KB) 2x4, 3 RBI; Arturo Lucatero (KB) 3x3, 2B; Nick Staats (KB) 2x4, 2B, 3 RBI.