With all the talent floating around the Tri-Cities, it's easy to overlook some real gems on the diamond in the surrounding area.
In the Central Washington Athletic Conference, Lee Gomez leads a triumvirate of four-year starting seniors for the Huskies by hitting .472 with three home runs and 20 RBIs. Marc Garza (.408, 4 HR, 18 RBIs) and David Garza (.362, 2 HR, 15 RBIs) also are having big years.
In the South Central Athletic Conference East, Kiona-Benton's Corey Brundridge is up to his old tricks. The Bears ace, who struck out 85 in 61 1/3 innings last season, has K'd 76 in 44 innings thus far. With a 1.43 ERA and 5-1 record, he has been miserable on opposing hitters and has five starts with 10 or more strikeouts. Oh, and he's almost as harsh on opposing pitchers, hitting .483.
The SCAC, of course, has its share of incredible hitting numbers --Connell's Nate Eppich (.600, 19 RBIs), Ki-Be's Grant Pierce (.586), and River View's Nate Remillard (.513, 3 HR, 17 RBIs) and Gage Nicholson (.488, 15 RBIs) among them.
But the league also gets lights-out pitching from Brundridge, Nicholson (1.64 ERA), River View's Dennin Harding (1.64 ERA) and Warden's Arty Reyes.
Still, it's tough to top the season that Southridge's Tyler Roberts is putting together in the 4A ranks: tops in the Columbia Basin Big Nine's Columbia Division with a .660 batting average and 28 RBIs, and he has solid numbers on the mound (3.23 ERA, 2-0, 30 strikeouts in 21 2/3 innings).
-- It doesn't take long looking down Othello's list of top producers to notice a trend: Ric Garza, Marc Garza, David Garza, Mike Garza, CJ Garza -- all hitting .362 or better, three of them over .400.
Huskies coach Larry Gonzalez said they are all members of a massively tangled family tree.
"This group has been playing together since they were little," Gonzalez said. "They've played a lot of baseball together."
Another name that pops out on the list is Chris Brunetti, who is hitting .400 and has a 2.15 ERA with 22 strikeouts in 13 innings.
Not to fear, Gonzalez said -- Brunetti still gets invited to family dinners. Though he transferred last season from Texas, Brunetti is related to Marc Garza.
When it comes to Othello baseball, it's all in the family.
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Plenty to cheer after Dust Devils' fine year
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The Tri-City Dust Devils will feel the sting for a while.
To come within one game of a Northwest League title only to fall short on the final day of the season, it leaves a hole.
"It's quiet (in the locker room), but there's nothing we can do. It's over with," Dust Devils pitcher Tyler Gagnon said after he took the loss in Game 3 of the NWL championship series Sunday in Vancouver. "We have to learn from it and move on."
On paper, Dust Devils have NWL title wrapped up
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PASCO -- If you look at the Northwest League website, you'll see that the Tri-City Dust Devils have vastly superior numbers to the Vancouver Canadians.
The Dust Devils swept the first half and second half East Division titles, and then went on to sweep Boise in the best-of-3 NWL divisional playoffs.
The Canadians didn't win either half in the West and backed into the playoffs after losing five of their last six regular season games.
Tri-Cities' Gagnon too sharp S-K this time
Tri-Cities' Gagnon too sharp S-K this time
PASCO -- The last time Tyler Gagnon faced the Salem-Keizer lineup, things didn't go so well.
The Tri-City Dust Devils' right-hander from Brentwood, Calif., allowed 10 earned runs in a 14-2 road loss on July 10, a defeat he's still trying to put behind him.
But he doesn't want to forget that feeling, either.
Connell softball player verbally commits to UW
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Connell junior pitcher/first baseman extraordinaire Ashley Thompson makes her pick: It's Husky purple and gold.
LIVE BLOG: Dust Devils vs. Salem-Keizer Volcanoes, Game 3
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Here's a quick Dust Devils alumni update: Russell Wilson, who played second base here in 2010 before heading back to the North Carolina State football team, where he started at quarterback.
Well, this year, he's quarterbacking Wisconsin after he was essentially shown the door at NC State when he chose to keep playing baseball in the Colorado Rockies' system. But it's been a great pickup for the Badgers, who beat UNLV tonight 51-17 in the season opener for both teams.
Wilson played most of the game and showed he is a great fit for the offense. As expected, he handed the ball off a lot, but he was also efficient when it came to making passes. Wilson completed 10-of-13 passes for 255 yards and two TDs. He also broke off an impressive 46-yard touchdown run near the end of the first half, getting a couple of great blocks along the way.
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