Tri-City now just one loss from elimination

KEIZER, Ore. -- Kevin Clark has been here before.

In 2007, the 6-foot outfielder from Seffner, Fla., was part of a Tri-City Dust Devils team that beat Salem-Keizer in Game 1 of the Northwest League championship series but then lost two straight to the Volcanoes, who won the title the next day in Keizer.

Clark finds himself in the same position after Tuesday's 7-0 loss to S-K in Game 3 of the NWL finals, but he thinks this Dust Devils team can write a much happier ending.

"We're a better team. In 2007 we were overmatched, but right now we're just not clicking," said Clark, who had one of just three hits against Volcanoes starter Craig Westcott. "I'm thankful we've got another chance (today)."

Westcott, a 30th-round draft pick of San Francisco this year, threw 101 pitches, some of them just far enough off the plate to tantalize Tri-City hitters who hoped to rebound at Volcanoes Stadium after a Game 2 loss at home.

It was the third straight start of at least six innings by a Salem-Keizer pitcher. Jorge Bucardo, Chris Gloor and Westcott -- the Volcanoes' starters in Games 1-3 -- have combined to go 2-1 with a 0.84 ERA.

"I thought it would be difficult to pitch better than those two (Bucardo and Gloor)," said Volcanoes manager Tom Trebelhorn, who would earn his first NWL championship as a manager with a win today. "(Westcott) did it with about three different pitches over the plate and by keeping them off balance."

Tri-City, which had collected just two runs on 11 hits in the first two games at Gesa Stadium, was hoping to turn things around offensively in Keizer, but the Dust Devils finished just 3-for-30 against Westcott and relievers Mario Rodriguez and Brandon Graves.

Rodriguez came in to relieve Westcott in the eighth and walked three of the four batters he faced to load the bases with one out.

That brought up Kent Matthes, one of Tri-City's most productive hitters. But Matthes hit a sharp grounder to third baseman Drew Biery, who stepped on third for the forceout and made the long throw to first for the inning-ending double play.

"We have to score runs. We were starting to swing the bats, but we only had three hits tonight," said Tri-City manager Fred Ocasio. "We helped (Westcott) out by swinging at some bad pitches. He threw a lot of fastballs, but every time he threw an offspeed pitch out of the zone, we chased it."

The Volcanoes got to Dust Devils starter Dan Perkins early and often for hits, getting a leadoff double from Evan Crawford and later a two-out RBI single from Luke Anders in the first for a 1-0 lead. The next inning, S-K jumped on Perkins for four more runs on four hits and two walks to take a 5-0 lead.

Perkins (0-1) left the game after two-plus innings, giving up all seven runs on seven hits and three walks in his shakiest start of the season.

"We've got to win. We know what's at stake," Ocasio said. "Now we can't lose a game."

Notes

RHP Aaron Weatherford had one of the lone Tri-City highlights, recording four strikeouts in the bottom of the seventh inning after Chris Dominguez struck out to lead off the inning but reached base after the pitch bounced to the backstop. Weatherford then struck out Ryan Lollis, Juan Martinez and Aaron Lowenstein to end the frame. ... Game 4 starters will be Dust Devils RHP Rob Scahill (1-4, 3.14 ERA) against Wilber Bucardo (4-1, 3.02).