Bears dump Dust Devils

YAKIMA — On the frequent occasions in which baseball is referred to as a game of inches, the reference has often been made in rueful tones.

You know — a would-be hit was foul by only a couple of inches or a fielder’s dive came up an inch or two short of a key catch.

It happened that way for Mike Freeman on successive drives in successive innings Tuesday night to the deepest part of Yakima County Stadium. But as has been the case for the Bears’ stellar second baseman this season, and the team collectively, one of them fell for a two-run double that keyed Yakima’s 4-2 defeat of Tri-City before an announced crowd of 1,327.

Asked which ball was hit harder on the cool, damp evening, Freeman said, “The one that went for a double. They didn’t catch that one.”

As a result, first-half East Division champion Spokane will have a tougher time catching the Bears in the second-half race. Yakima (22-11 second half, 40-31 overall) maintained its three-game cushion over the Indians with only five to play, thus reducing its magic number for winning the title to three.

Already the Bears’ overall record had secured a Northwest League playoff berth, the franchise’s first since 2000, and Yakima will open a best-of-three series with the Indians here Monday night.

“We did a lot of good things again,” Bears manager Bob Didier said. “Berger (starting pitcher Andrew) gave us five good innings, Reagan (Miles) got some outs for us and Cantwell (Keith) did a great job of stranding a runner at third in the eighth.

“But Freeman’s hit was the back-breaker, or the game-breaker.”

His two-out, two-run, sixth-inning double barely eluded Jeremiah Sammy an inning after the Dust Devils center fielder had made a back-to-the plate grab of a Freeman drive on the warning track in front of the 406-foot sign.

It also scored the game’s final runs as Yakima won its fourth straight, all against the Dust Devils (11-22, 28-43).

Reagan allowed an unearned run in the sixth, after which Cantwell worked two scoreless innings and freshly-minted all-star De La Rosa pitched a 1-2-3, two-strikeout ninth for his eighth save.

In four games against Tri-City, Bears relievers have allowed no earned runs over 17 innings.

Kawika Emsley-Pai and Henry Zabala had two hits apiece for Yakima while Freeman, who recently accumulated enough at bats to rank among the league batting leaders, extended his hitting streak to 12 games.

The 11th-round draftee from Clemson is batting .343.

“Any time you can extend your season and play for a championship, it’s exciting,” said Freeman, who earlier this year helped the Tigers reach the College World Series. “It really doesn’t matter what level you’re playing at. We’ve accomplished one goal, but we have others to take care of while we’re here.”

Down 1-0 in the bottom of the fifth, the Bears tied it on Roberto Ortiz’s single that scored Tom Belza, who had walked, taken second on a wild pitch and moved to third on Freeman’s first long drive.

Zabala led off the Yakima sixth with a double, held while Raoul Torrez reached on an error and took third on Kawika Emsley-Pai’s single that loaded the bases.

Belza’s sacrifice fly scored Zabala, and Freeman’s blast off the boards in center plated Torrez and Emsley-Pai.

“We’ve talked about it a lot, but our bullpen’s just been outstanding,” Didier said. “One of the keys was the way Cantwell pitched in the eighth (two strikeouts and a groundout after the leadoff hitter singled and advanced on a wild pitch and stolen base). He did that right through the heart of their batting order.

“And our little left-hander (De La Rosa) just seems to get two strikeouts every inning he pitches.”