Richland bombed by Kentwood

SEATTLE -- Maybe it was the big screen, broadcasting giant versions of themselves on the scoreboard high overhead.

Maybe it was the realization that indeed, they were playing in a state championship game.

Maybe it was just a bad day.

Whatever it was, it wasn't good for the Richland Bombers.

With their struggling offense leaving no room for mistakes, the Bombers made too many Saturday night, falling 8-0 to the Kentwood Conquerors in the 4A title game at Safeco Field.

"We've been playing so good, and that was the worst we have been," said Richland coach Ben Jacobs, whose team committed four errors, gave up five walks and hit two batters. "It's just one of those things."

The Bombers (20-6), who already made history by reaching the 4A semifinals in four straight seasons, were trying to become the first big-school repeat champions.

Instead, the Conquerors (21-3) won their second state title (2000 was the other), and Richland has to settle for proving wrong a lot of people who figured this would be a rebuilding season, not a reloading one.

"It feels good," said junior center fielder Zach Rapacz. "It would feel better to win the title, but it feels pretty good."

Earlier at Safeco, Federal Way beat Shorewood 11-3 for third place. In the 3A ranks, O'Dea beat Camas 8-5 to repeat as champions, and Enumclaw topped Columbia River 9-1 for third.

It was evident early in the 4A title game that this wasn't going to be the same Richland team that chugged through the postseason with polished defense and potent pitching.

Kentwood's first batter hit a routine grounder to short that got past Syd Hall and into left field. One out later, a single to center plated the run, the first of three unearned runs for Richland starter Mike Dunford.

Dunford himself had troubles with a lineup featuring two Division I players and another headed to D-II Central Washington.

He escaped a bases-loaded mess in the second when right fielder Chris Cecil tracked down a fly in the corner -- one of several fine catches in the Bombers made at all three outfield positions.

But the wheels came off in the third when a botched bunt and a walk kept alive the inning, and Conks pitcher Avery Kain helped himself with a double down the third-base line past a diving Kenton Brunson.

The two-run hit was the big blow in a five-run frame that ended Dunford's day on the mound and pretty much sank Richland's hopes.

That's because the Bombers, who won 1-0 in Friday's semifinal despite getting one hit, managed a mere two more in the title game.

Kain threw just 74 pitches, striking out four and walking one. He didn't try anything fancy -- just threw strikes and trusted his defense.

"We talked about it before the game, we don't think these guys are that offensive," said Kentwood coach Jon Aarstad. "So we weren't going to dance around them."

It was the Conks' infielders who were on their toes, with 13 outs coming on routine grounders.

"I think it was just going from a fast lefty (Shorewood's Blake Snell on Friday) to a slower righty," Cecil explained. "His ball was down a little bit -- that's why we kept grounding out to second base. We couldn't adjust, and that's what killed us."

Richland's best scoring chance came in the fifth, when Dunford's single put runners on first and third. But the threat was squashed when Corey Morris hit a sharp grounder to short and the throw home was in plenty of time.

At that point, though, it would have been just a dent.

"These guys (Kentwood) know to swing it," Jacobs said. "They strike out and they look good. We've got a year or two to go before we look good striking out. But I got no complaints."