T-C jumps on Yakima ace to end four-game losing streak vs. Bears||

YAKIMA — They had been going in opposite directions, the surging, playoff-bound Bears and tailspinning Tri-City.

Especially against each other.

Yakima teammates congratulate Raoul Torrez (37) after he scored in the fifth inning against Tri-City on Wednesday at Yakima County Stadium.||SARA GETTYS/Yakima Herald-Republic

But Wednesday night at Yakima County Stadium the cellar-dwelling Dust Devils finally got their due, roughing up Bears ace Miguel Pena early and getting a two-run homer late en route to a 7-3 victory before an announced crowd of 1,588.

Yakima (22-12 second half, 40-32 overall), had beaten Tri-City (12-22, 29-43) four nights in a row and eight times in 10 games this season.

Despite the loss, the Bears saw their second-half East Division magic number reduced to two with Spokane’s loss to Boise.

“It’s hard to beat a team five times in a row,” Bears manager Bob Didier said. “They’re a professional ballclub, and they obviously have some good players over there.”

Yakima's Zach Walters makes a catch in the second inning against Tri-City on Wednesday.||SARA GETTYS/Yakima Herald-Republic

With starting pitcher Erik Stavert clearly among them. Stavert allowed only three hits and one run over 5 2?3 innings, striking out four and walking three to improve to 3-4.

Pena, who will start Yakima’s best-of-three playoff series opener with Spokane here Monday, yielded six hits and five runs — though only two were earned — over five innings. He walked four and struck out five.

“He just never seemed to get comfortable,” Didier said. “He was just a young, 19-year-old pitcher who wasn’t able to adjust on the fly. But he’s been our best starter, and I feel comfortable with him on the mound Monday.”

Roberto Ortiz had two of Yakima’s eight hits and Mike Freeman extended his hitting streak to 13 games.

Pena’s problems began early, with first-inning singles by Jeremiah Sammy, Bryce Massanari and Mark Tracy. Sammy came home on a passed ball while Tracy’s two-out single scored Reyes and Jared Simon after Simon had drawn a two-out walk and advanced when Sammy plated.

Errors by Zach Walters and Raoul Torrez, along with two base hits, then plated two second-inning runs for a 5-0 Tri-City lead.

Yakima’s offense finally broke through in the fifth against Stavert, using successive walks to Torrez and Westley Moss plus Ortiz’s two-out single to make it 5-1.

The Bears made it a two-run game in the seventh, scoring twice with two outs.

After  Freeman singled, Ortiz walked and Walters, the switch-hitter batting right-handed against T-C lefty Kraig Sitton, steered a bouncer between third and short for a two-run single.

But in the top of the eighth against Greg Robinson, who had worked two hitless innings in relief of Pena, Mark Tracy led off with a single and, with one out, Chad Jacobsen launched his second homer of the year to left-center for a four-run Tri-City cushion.

“The two-run homer broke our backs,” Didier said. “I felt like when it was 5-3, with two more at bats we could tie it or take the lead.”

Yazy Arbelo, the Northwest League’s RBI leader who also ranks second in homers, left the game after grounding out in the fourth inning.

Didier declined comment on the matter.

Next game

Opponent: Tri-City Dust Devils.

When, where: Yakima County Stadium.

Radio: KUTI (1460).

Website: www.yakimaherald.com

Probable pitchers: Yakima RHP Enrique Burgos (1-1, 4.79) vs. Tri-City RHP Josh Mueller (2-2, 4.12).

Notes

PLAYOFF ROTATION SET: Miguel Pena will start Monday night’s East Division playoff opener here against Spokane, Bears manager Bob Didier said Wednesday.

The 19-year-old will be followed in the best-of-three set by, in order, Enrique Burgos and Kevin Eichhorn, the latter due in soon from Missoula.

Should Yakima advance to the Northwest League championships, also a best-of-three series, the starters will be Brad Wilson, Teo Gutierrez and Pena. All the starters are right-handers.

Justin Albert, who’s also coming from Missoula, will give the Bears another left-handed reliever to join all-star Eury De La Rosa. Didier said Albert will probably be available to pitch an inning here tonight against Tri-City in the Bears last regular-season home game.

FREE PARKING: As part of today’s Fan Appreciatiion Night, parking at Yakima County Stadium for the Bears game with Tri-City will be free.

Fireworks will follow the game.

DOWNTOWN RALLY TODAY: The Yakima Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring a playoff rally today for the Bears, which is scheduled for a 11:30 a.m. at Performance Park downtown.

The team will be there at noon and players will later be available for autographs.

Emceeing the event will be Todd Lyons and Drew Bontadelli, the team’s Yakima County Stadium and radio voices, respectively.

• Alex Cate will start at quarterback for Central Washington’s GNAC football opener Saturday night at Dixie State.

Wildcats coach Blaine Bennett said Wednesday that Cate, a senior transfer from Oklahoma State, has been given the nod over redshirt freshman Ryan Robertson.

Both played, but neither was especially effective in Central’s 35-10 loss last Saturday to fourth-ranked Minnesota Duluth in Ellensburg.

“I thought our first two series of the game were our best in terms of execution, tempo and the things we were looking for,” Bennett said Wednesday. “Unfortunately we made some mistakes in the red zone and came out of those drives with only three points, which was very crucial.”

Cate played the first half and also the final series and finished 9 for 15 passing for 67 yards with one interception that led to a Duluth touchdown. Robertson was 21 for 33 for 236 yards and Central’s only touchdown, but also threw two picks — one of which was returned for a touchdown.

“Ryan threw the ball well at times and we were very excited to see that,” Bennett said. “But at this point Alex fits into the offensive package that we think will play to our strength.”

Arbelo, Walters, De La Rosa honored||

YAKIMA — Yazy Arbelo, Zach Walters and Eury De La Rosa have made the Northwest League all-star team, league officials announced Tuesday.

“Really?” Arbelo said while enjoying a pregame meal. “I did? Awesome.”

“Wow,” said Walters. “That’s neat.”

Said De La Rosa, through interpreter Raywilly Gomez, “Thank you.”

Arbelo, Yakima’s first baseman, began play Tuesday ranking second in the league in home runs (14), while leading in runs batted in (53) and was fourth in slugging percentage (.544) while batting .294.

Short-stop Walters was sev-enth in batting average (.315), tied for second in doubles (18) and had 38 RBI and 12 stolen bases.

De La Rosa, a left-handed reliever, has been one of several Bears bullpen standouts with a 1-1 record, a 1.07 earned run average and a team-high 51 strikeouts in 42 innings.

Conspicuously absent was right-hander Jake Hale, who in 35 1/3 relief innings this season has allowed only one earned run (0.25) while striking out 40 and walking only seven.

Three all stars were the most a Yakima team has had since 2003, when infielders Conor Jackson and Jamie D’Antona, closer Dustin Glant and pitcher Clint Goocher made the squad.

Spokane’s Jared Hoying, who’s among the league leaders in batting, homers, RBI and stolen bases, was named most valuable player while the Indians’ Tim Hulett was tabbed manager of the year.

Rounding out the squad were: 2B Pierre LaPage (Boise), 3B Kevin Mailloux (Everett), DH A.J. Kirby-Jones (Vancouver), C Steven Baron (Everett)/C Emmanuel Quiles (Eugene), OF Hoying, OF Alvaro Ramirez (Boise), OF Ryan Scoma (Salem-Keizer), LHP Anthony Fernandez (Everett), RHP Chad Bettis (Tri-City), RH Reliever A.J. Griffin (Vancouver).
The team was selected by the league’s managers.

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.”

Next game

Opponent: Tri-City Dust Devils.

When, where: 7:05 p.m. today, Yakima County Stadium.

Radio: KUTI (1460).

Website: www.yakimabears.com

Probable pitchers: Yakima RHP Miguel Pena (4-5, 3.44) vs. Tri-City RHP Erik Stavert (2-4, 3.02).

Notes

A NOD TO TODD: Longtime Bears public address announcer Todd Lyons was honored Tuesday night with a surprise bobblehead likeness.

Lyons autographed bobbleheads before the game, threw out the first pitch and then enjoyed a rare opportunity to take in the game as a fan along with his family.

ROSTER TWEAKING: The Bears will soon send pitchers Casey Upperman and Rashad Tucker to Missoula in exchange for pitchers Kevin Eichhorn and Justin Albert, Yakima manager Bob Didier said Tuesday.

Right-hander Eichhorn, 5-5 with a 4.94 earned run average, will be installed in the Bears’ starting rotation, Didier said. Albert, a lefty, is 2-1 with a 3.31 ERA.

Didier also said a rotation for the upcoming best-of-three East Division playoff series against Spokane would likely be set today.

CWU offense misfires against Minnesota Duluth ||

ELLENSBURG,Wash. — As predictions go, Blaine Bennett’s words were not especially bold. But as a warning they spoke volumes.

“We won’t beat anybody,” the Central Washington coach said, “if we don’t score more than 10 points.”

Presumably that means anybody and everybody, including the five remaining teams on the Wildcats’ schedule this season (they play all four of their GNAC opponents twice, plus non-conference foes Eastern Washington and Southern Oregon).

Central defenders, including Paul Wright, 16, and Abraham Muheize, 5, tackle Minnesota Duluth's Isaac Odim near the line of scrimmage Saturday, Aug. 28, 2010. (Andy Sawyer/Yakima Herald-Republic)

And even though CWU had in fact triumphed a year ago with such a modest offensive output in its opener at Mesa State, that victory was due largely to a dominant defense.

So in that regard two things were abundantly clear Saturday: First, Central’s defense is not as good as last season’s, and second, the total Bennett mentioned was not nearly enough to compete with, let alone defeat, No. 4 Minnesota Duluth.

“We’ve got some things to sort out,” he said after fifth-ranked CWU had been clobbered 35-10 in its regionally televised season opener before 3,973 sun-bathed fans at Tomlinson Stadium. “We’ve got to decide who’s going to play quarterback for us, and we’ve got to find an offensive package that will work for that quarterback.”

Saturday’s game, which saw senior transfer Alex Cate start and finish while redshirt sophomore Ryan Robertson played most of the second half, apparently provided little resolution to the issue.

Cate struggled after an encouraging start. He was 9 for 15, but threw for only 67 yards plus an interception that led to Duluth’s second touchdown.

Robertson was 21 for 32 for 236 yards and Central’s lone TD, a 39-yard sideline strike to Chris Smith late in the third quarter. But he also threw two picks, the second of which was returned 46 yards for a touchdown by Duluth’s Forest Clements.

Bennett liked the running of senior Bryson Kelly, who gained 52 yards on 13 carries, but said, “We were way too predictable, and then the score got out of hand and we had to throw every down.”

The Wildcats led 3-0 on Pavel Pachenko’s 37-yard field to cap the hosts’ first possession, but then saw Duluth score 28 unanswered points.

Sophomore quarterback Chase Vogler burst 55 yards up the middle after being flushed out of the pocket to make if 21-3 with 1:47 left in the first half, then connected with ace receiver D.J. Winfield on an 89-yard touchdown pass on the Bulldogs’ first possession of the second.

The play was set up by a fake to All-American running back Isaac Odim, after which Vogler rolled to his left and then found Winfield behind the coverage.

“I thought about running the ball at first,” said Vogler, a sophomore who finished 9 of 18 for 183 yards with no interceptions. “But then I saw D.J. running over the middle with his hand up.

“That just shows you how the best player in the country (Odim) can have an effect even when he doesn’t touch the ball. We knew play action would work.”

Said Bennett, “Our pass defense was not very good. We can’t give up a big play like that — it’s 21-3, then all of a sudden it’s 28-3.”

Central’s bright spot was clearly its run defense, with West Valley’s Taylor Tanasse and Kittitas’ Mike Reno helping the front line and fourth-year starter Adam Bighill leading the linebackers.

“We just need to come together as a team,” said Tanasse, who helped limit Odim to 50 yards and a 4-yard touchdown on 20 rushes. “We have to establish some cohesiveness between the offense and defense. We need to help each other out.

“We did OK against the run, but we can’t let the quarterback take off up the middle like their guy did.”

For Bennett, however, the sore spot was the offense. He’s a former quarterback, after all, and serves as offensive coordinator.

“I don’t think either quarterback played very well,” Bennett said. “Both guys made some good decisions and both guys made some bad decisions. And our receivers didn’t do a very good job of catching the ball.”

As is often the case in one-sided games, the final numbers were deceiving.

With Duluth content to relinquish several small plays in lieu of a big one, CWU compiled more first downs (20-16) and total yards (370).

The Wildcats, however, lost their first regular-season home game since Nov. 10, 2007, when Nebraska-Omaha blew them away 59-21. Two weeks later in the NCAA Division II playoffs, Central avenged the defeat with a 20-17 win — much as Duluth got even Saturday for last year’s 13-10 home loss to CWU.

Like Blaine Bennett said, it’s tough to win when you don’t score more than 10 points.

Minnesota Duluth    0    21    7    7    —    35
Central Washington    3    0    7    0    —    10
First quarter
CWU — FG Pavel Panchenko 37, 7:31.
Second quarter
MD — Brian Hanson 1 run (David Nadeau kick), 13:06.
MD — Isaac Odim 4 run (Nadeau kick), 6:30.
MD — Chase Vogler 55 run (Nadeau kick), 1:47.
Third quarter
MD — D.J. Winfield 89 pass from Vogler (Nadeau kick), 11:38.
CWU — Chris Smith 39 pass from Ryan Robertson (Panchenko kick), 1:08.
Fourth quarter
MD — Forest Clements 46 interception return (Nadeau kick), 14:09.
MD    CWU
First downs    16    20
Rushes-yards    36-162    22-67
Passing    183    303
Comp-Att-Int    9-18-0    30-48-3
Return yards    86    83
Punts-Avg.    8-34.5    4-41.5
Fumbles-Lost    0-0    1-0
Penalties-Yards    8-72    9-78
Time of Possession    29:58    30:02
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING — Minnesota Duluth, Vogler 6-69, Odim 20-50, Brad Foss 9-42, Hanson 1-1. Central Washington, Bryson Kelly 13-52, Alex Cate 3-17, Ishmael Stinson 3-13, Ryan Robertson 2-minus 5, Team 1-minus 10.
PASSING — Minnesota Duluth, Vogler 9-18-0-183. Central Washington, Robertson 21-33-2-236, Cate 9-15-1-67.
RECEIVING — Minnesota Duluth, Winfield 7-164, Josh Quilling 1-11, D’Andre Sherill 1-8. Central Washington, Smith 6-86, Justin Helwege 5-47, Codey Berry 4-25, Kelly 4-24, Griffin Squires 3-47, Kollin Hancock 3-44, Demetruis Guice 3-20, Robert Akeo-Orr 2-10.

ELLENSBURG, Wash. — Minnesota Duluth’s Joe Doherty, a reserve defensive back, completed his obligatory trip through the postgame handshake line and, having offered one last “Nice game,” spun and then hopped into the air.

“Damn” he said, “that felt good!”

Easy for him to say.

It usually is when your team wins 35-10, on the road, against a team you’d lost to a year ago and which, if polls are to be believed, was possibly your equal.

Yet Saturday at Tomlinson Stadium, fifth-ranked Central Washington was no match for the No. 4 Bulldogs.

“Yeah, they’re a good football team,” CWU coach Blaine Bennett conceded, “but we didn’t play our best game. I sure hope we didn’t.”

Given the events of this particular day, there are other things the Wildcats must hope for.

That they’d played their worst game of the season would be one of them, and that Duluth was the best opponent they’ll see, with the possible exception of Eastern Washington, would be another.

It’s true that it’s still August, that Central has a proven coaching staff and there is still time for improvement that clearly needs to be made.

But suddenly another GNAC championship, a foregone conclusion since the conference reassembled for the 2008 season, no longer seems a certainty.

Games that in recent seasons past seemed a sure thing for the Wildcats now look like anything but. And when opponents watch Saturday’s film, they will see a CWU team they’ll no longer just hope to hang with, but one they’ll think they can beat.

As with last year’s squad, the defense seems Central’s strength — though it would be unrealistic to expect this unit to be as good as that one.

The front line of Taylor Tanasse, Eugene Germany, Mike Reno and Tyrell Nielsen is strong, mobile and experienced. The linebackers, especially senior Adam Bighill, are solid, too.

But Bennett was justifiably displeased with the Wildcats’ pass coverage, and the special teams which a year ago distinguished themselves are thus far unproven.

“We have a lot of talent in our secondary,” Bennett said, “and also on our return units. We just didn’t get much out of them today.”

Meaning the offense, which a year ago was asked not to lose games as much as it was required to win them, must become substantially better.

“I just think we need to find an identity,” quarterback Ryan Robertson said. “We need to figure out who we are as a unit, what we do best and how we can move the ball and score points.”

And fast.

Dixie State, which lost 34-14 Saturday at Adams State, is up next. And Saturday’s game at St. George, Utah, will afford the Red Storm a golden opportunity — one in which it can snap Central’s 31-game GNAC winning streak.

Film of CWU’s loss to MD, meanwhile, will give Dixie hope, albeit a different type than the Wildcats have.

At this hour Central must hope to quickly and dramatically improve — and also that Duluth was just really, really good.

YAKIMA, Wash. — Often this season, and especially during the second half of it, the Bears had gotten the big hit, made the big pitch or executed the big play needed to win a game.

But not this game.

Hoping to reduce its playoff magic number while increasing its second-half East Division lead, Yakima did neither Friday night, dropping a 3-2 decision to Spokane in a matchup of likely first-round playoff foes at Yakima County Stadium.

Yakima's Henry Zabala, left, moves out of the way as Mike Freeman catches a fly ball against Spokane Friday, Aug. 27, 2010 in Yakima, Wash. (Andy Sawyer/Yakima Herald-Republic)

Before an announced overflow crowd of 3,139 on Mel Stottlemyre bobblehead night, the Bears (18-11 second half, 36-31 overall) saw their lead over the Indians (16-13, 38-29) pared to two games with nine remaining.

And unlike the evening prior, Yakima’s magic number for earning its first postseason berth since 2000 did not shrink since Boise defeated Tri-City.

The Hawks, who could gain the second-half berth if they and first-half champion Spokane overtake the Bears in this half, moved to within six games of Yakima in the overall standings which determine the second-half participant if one team claims both titles.

Thus, the Bears’ magic number stayed at four.

“We pitched well and played well enough, although four errors don’t look too good,” Yakima manager Bob Didier said. “We had enough chances to score five to seven runs. But we only scored two.”

As a result, the Bears have lost consecutive games at home for the first time since June 19-20, when they were en route to a 1-6 start. They also lost a series on their home turf for the first time in six tries, and finished this eight-game homestand 5-3.

Remaining are six straight games with Tri-City — three at Pasco and three in Yakima — followed by a regular season-ending three-game set at Boise.

If the Bears win the second-half title or finish with a better overall record than the Hawks, they’ll open a best-of-three division series against the Indians here on Sept. 6. The second and, if necessary, third games would be played in Spokane the following two days.

A night after issuing a Northwest League season-high 13 walks, Yakima allowed only one. But after producing eight hits over the first four innings, the Bears got none over the final five against Indians starter Ben Henry and three relievers.

Nor did they advance a runner to scoring position after the Indians took a 3-2 lead in the top of the sixth.

Golden opportunities were erased, meanwhile, when Yakima banged into inning-ending double plays with the bases loaded in the third inning and again in the fourth.

Spokane scored first on Jake Skole’s two-out RBI single in the second.

The Bears took a 2-1 lead in the fourth on Henry Zabala’s one-out double and a run-scoring single by Raywilly Gomez.

Roberto Ortiz and Justin Hilt would follow with base hits to fill the sacks, after which a walk to No. 9 hitter Tom Belza scored Gomez.

Mike Freeman, however, bounced into a spectacularly-turned double play that saw Indians second baseman Santiago Chirino make a diving stab of the ball behind the bag and flip it from his glove to shortstop Jurickson Profar, who spun and fired to first.

“Their second baseman made a great play up the middle — simple as that,” Didier said.

The inning prior, Zach Walters had stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and one out but smacked into a 3-6-1 twin killing. Raoul Torrez, with the same opportunity and none out, hit a foul pop to the third baseman.

Spokane, meanwhile, got successive singles from Skole and Olt plus a sacrifice fly by Andrew Clark to tie it in the fifth. The Indians then used Profar’s leadoff double on a ball misplayed by center-fielder Hilt, a sacrifice bunt and then a sacrifice fly by Kellin Deglan to re-take the lead in the sixth.

Olt had three hits to lead Spokane, which played without offensive mainstay Jared Hoying due to injury. Freeman and Hilt had two hits each for Yakima.

“A break or two and it’s a different game,” Didier said. “But if we win tomorrow, we’ll be in good shape.”

Bears honor Mabton’s Stottlemyre with bobblehead night ||

YAKIMA, Wash. — Few in baseball have seen or done all that Mel Stottlemyre has.

As a rookie right-hander, for example, he pitched in a World Series for the New York Yankees. He later coached in, and won, five Series as a pitching coach — four with the Yankees and one with the New York Mets.

Mel Stottlemyre watches his wife, Jean, throw the ceremonial first pitch before the Yakima Bears' game against the Spokane Indians Friday, Aug. 27, 2010 in Yakima, Wash. (Andy Sawyer/Yakima Herald-Republic)

During his stellar playing career, during which he was known as a good-hitting pitcher, Stottlemyre even belted an inside-the-park grand slam.

Friday night at Yakima County Stadium, however, the former Mabton High School and Yakima Valley Community College great enjoyed a baseball-related first.

“Yes,” he said smiling, “this is my first bobblehead. I’m a little worried, though, because my wife’s here and when she sees me bobblehead, moving my head forward and back, she’ll tell me I was saying yes to something I’d said no to before.”

Stottlemyre, 68, said he’s been enjoying a summer that included three days of fishing with old friend and junior college mentor Bobo Brayton on Lake Washington.

“We had a great time — caught a lot of walleye,” Stottlemyre said. “Bobo’s awesome. It was a tremendous amount of fun, just he and I in my little motor home.”

Such adventures, plus spending time with his wife, Jean, sons Mel Jr. and Todd and multiple grandchildren, have convinced Stottlemyre that his coaching days are done.

“Full-time, at least,” he said. “I’m just enjoying life with my family, playing golf and fishing, which I love to do.”

Stottlemyre had a patch over his right ear, where Wednesday he’d had some non-malignant skin cancer removed. He said his wife’s health is sound, as is his own after a well-documented battle with multiple myeloma — a rare form of blood cancer.

The first 500 fans at the Bears game with Spokane received Stottlemyre likenesses. The right-hander shared stories and jokes with old friend Bob Didier, Yakima’s manager, plus pitching coach Doug Drabek.

Stottlemyre then delighted in surprise video-taped congratulations from Joe Torre and Don Zimmer, his old Yankee coaching comrades.

Afterward, Jean threw out the first pitch — which was caught by Drabek.

Next game

Opponent: Tri-City Dust Devils.

When, where: 7:15 p.m. today, Gesa Stadium, Pasco.

Radio: KUTI (1460).

Website: www.yakimabears.com

Probable pitchers: Yakima RHP Enrique Burgos (1-1, 4.97) vs. Tri-City RHP Josh Mueller (2-2, 4.05).

Notes

WILD NIGHT AT THE YARD: The 13 walks issued by Bears pitchers in Thursday night’s 13-3 loss to Spokane was a season high.

It was also the most in the Northwest League this season, with Spokane having issued 12 free passes in an earlier game.

Yakima starter Andrew Berger walked five in 12/3 innings, Robbie Andrews walked two in 1 1/3 innings, Miles Reagan walked three in 3 2/3 innings, Keith Cantwell had one in 1/3 of an inning and Casey Upperman walked two over the final two frames.

WEDDING DUDS TO SELLING SUDS: Lexi Davisson, who was married Aug. 2 to Bears pitcher Corey Davisson on the Yakima County Stadium pitcher’s mound, has been selling beer in the stadium’s left-field beer garden.

When Yakima’s Northwest League season concludes, she’ll begin her new job as pitching coach for the softball team at Fresno City College.

Box score

Click here for box score

NWL standings

Click here for standings

YAKIMA, Wash. — Citing mobility as the deciding factor, Central Washington coach Blaine Bennett on Friday named Alex Cate as his starting quarterback for today’s high-profile season-opener against Minnesota Duluth.

A senior transfer from Oklahoma State, Cate had dueled evenly with redshirt sophomore Ryan Robertson throughout preseason camp.

Bennett said both will probably play in today’s regionally televised showdown of nationally ranked teams.

“Both quarterbacks have done an excellent job,” Bennett said Friday afternoon after the Wildcats’ final tuneup for the 1:05 p.m. kickoff at Tomlinson Stadium. “Alex, I think, is a little more mobile, and that’s one thing that has moved him to the top. But I would anticipate both guys playing.”

It’s likely, Bennett said, that Cate will see most of the first-half action with Robertson playing perhaps a series before halftime — depending on how the game progresses, of course.

Cate, 6-foot-1 and 200 pounds, was a highly recruited prep star from Salt Lake City who played sparingly at OSU.

The 6-3, 200-pound Robertson is a redshirt sophomore from Sammamish who was part of Bennett’s first recruiting class. He started Central’s first eight games last year and finished 125-for-218 passing for 1,275 yards and 13 touchdowns with eight interceptions.

He was replaced at halftime of Central’s Week 8 meeting with Western Oregon at Seattle’s Qwest Field, a game in which the Wildcats trailed 21-0 at halftime.

Cole Morgan, a senior transfer from Western Washington, finished that game, which CWU rallied to win, and started the remaining five games.

The Wildcats finished the season as the only unbeaten team in NCAA Division II, were top-ranked and advanced to the playoff quarterfinals before falling 21-20 to eventual national champion Northwest Missouri.

Bennett said the perennially powerful Bulldogs, beaten 13-10 at home by Central last year in Week 2, make today’s game more important than most season openers.

“Yes, no question,” he said. “It’s very important for both teams. For us, it’s critical to at least go out and play well.”

Early opener should be good barometer for CWU’s season ||

YAKIMA, Wash. — Last year they took a bus trip, and what a ride it was.

Central Washington’s football season turned out to be pretty special, too.

The Wildcats, who used a nationally televised, Week 2 upset of host Minnesota Duluth to catapult them toward an unbeaten regular season and No. 1 national ranking, will host the Bulldogs for a season-opening rematch that Saturday should provide substantial insight as to how far 2010 will take them.

A swarm of Central Washington tacklers, led by returning players Mike Reno (45) and Emeka Aludogbu (20), tackles a Humboldt State ballcarrier during an Oct. 24, 2009 game at Tomlinson Stadium in Ellensburg. (Andy Sawyer/Yakima Herald-Republic file)

Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Tomlinson Stadium, with the game to be televised live regionally on SWX.

A year ago, Central followed a 10-0 victory at Mesa State in Grand Junction, Colo. by busing some 20 hours and 1,300 miles to Duluth. And the following Thursday night, before a CBS College Sports audience, they stunned the No. 2 Bulldogs 13-10.

Much has changed since then, of course, not the least of which has been the departure of 23 seniors and 15 starters from a CWU team that went 12-1, finished the regular season as the top-ranked NCAA Division II team and engaged eventual national champion Northwest Missouri in a fight to the finish before falling, 21-20, in a playoff quarterfinal.

One thing that hasn’t is the Wildcats are again in the final hours before their season opener without having settled on a starting quarterback.

Last year the duel was between Ryan Robertson and Cole Morgan. This year it involves Robertson and Alex Cate — the latter, like Morgan, having transferred in for his senior season. Cate is from Oklahoma State.

Coach Blaine Bennett, asked Thursday if he knew who Saturday’s starter would be, said, “I don’t. I wish I did. You’ll probably see both of them play, but we’re just not sure who’s going to take the first snap.

“What we’re trying to decide is what offensive package we’re going to use more, and which guy will operate that package best.”

Speaking of game plans, Bennett has a priority for that of his defense.

It involves Duluth running back Isaac Odim, a 6-foot, 215-pound senior All-American who last year gained 120 of his 1,808 season yards against the Wildcats.

“He’s the best running back we’ve faced,” Bennett said. “He’s an NFL prospect — just a real special player. Containing him will be our No. 1 concern on Saturday.”

At least Central’s defense, featuring West Valley’s Taylor Tanasse and Kittitas’ Mike Reno up front and fourth-year starter Adam Bighill at linebacker, figures to be its strength.

Central Washington’s Adam Bighill (41) tackles Humboldt State’s Corey Stollmeyer during an Oct. 24, 2009 game at Tomlinson Stadium in Ellensburg. This season will be Bighill’s fourth as a starter for the Wildcats. (Andy Sawyer/Yakima Herald-Republic file)

Offensively, there is no heir-apparent to All-American Johnny Spevak as a big-play, big-number receiver.

Chris Smith, a senior who came to CWU as a junior transfer from California’s Grossmont College, will start at Spevak’s position. Last year Smith caught seven passes for 62 yards.

Bryson Kelly, a 235-pound senior running back who was second on the squad last year with 568 yards and one touchdown, will play a more prominent offensive role.

“I think we’ll have a very good running game,” said Bennett, who has lauded the play of 302-pound senior transfer Brian Agnis at left tackle. “We’ll probably have fewer big plays by our receivers than we’ve had that past couple of years and we’ll be a little more balanced in our offensive attack.

“But I really think the strength of this team will be on the defensive side of the ball, and it should be with the returners we have.”

Kelly and receiver Jamal Weems will be the offensive captains, Bennett said, while Bighill and end Tyrell Nielsen will captain the defense.

Injuries have slowed some players, with offensive tackle Joe Meeks’ season-ending knee injury the most serious, and Bennett said others had yet to become eligible.

And of course beyond Saturday looms the bigger picture — one which the Duluth game will begin to develop — meaning CWU’s quest for a fourth straight playoff berth.

Since Central has established itself as a D-II power, with players first recruited by John Zamberlin and coached for one season by Beau Baldwin before Bennett’s arrival in 2008, such an aspiration should be more realistic than it might have been years earlier.

CWU’s conference, the GNAC, has too few teams (five) to qualify its champion for an automatic bid, so the Wildcats must finish high enough in the final regional rankings to make the postseason.

How many wins will it take?

“I would guess nine,” Bennett said. “If you finish 9-2 I think you would expect to get in. At 8-3 you might, but you’d obviously be less certain.

“Our goal every single year is to win the conference championship. We also want to get into the playoffs and win a national championship, but it’s hard to set a goal you’re not really in control of. So we have to win the conference first to have a chance to get into the playoffs. Then hopefully we’ll get in and be in the mix for a national title.”

The ride starts Saturday.

Starter Wilson allows two hits in 8 innings as Yakima tops S-K ||

YAKIMA, Wash. — Liz Torrez had to hurry, her son said, to get to Yakima County Stadium in time for Tuesday night’s game.

And even if she’d missed the first few innings, Raoul Torrez’s mom was there well in advance of the good stuff — and there was plenty from the Bears in an 8-3 triumph over Salem-Keizer.

The victory, Yakima’s sixth in seven games, improved its second-half East Division lead over Spokane to three games with 12 to play — three of which will include the Indians in a series here starting tonight.

An announced 1,383, counting Mrs. Torrez, saw Brad Wilson take a two-hitter into the eighth inning in perhaps the Bears’ best starting performance of the year.

They saw Zach Walters, already among the Northwest League hitting leaders, stage a 4-for-5 night that included two doubles to raise his average to .329.

There was another run batted in from Yazy Arbelo, boosting his league-leading total to 52, a combined three hits from utility players Jimmy Comerota and Tom Belza and, last but clearly not least from Liz Torrez’s perspective, a three-run homer and four RBI from Yakima’s stellar third baseman who hails from Phoenix.

“The ball doesn’t carry well here at night,” Raoul Torrez said, “so even though I knew I hit it well, I ran as hard as I could until I was sure.”

Bears manager Bob Didier, on the other hand, had no doubt.

“That’s one of the two or three hardest hit balls I’ve seen this year,” he said of Torrez’s two-out, fifth-inning bomb, which staked Wilson to a 6-1 lead. “He destroyed that pitch.”

Arbelo, Torrez, Comerota and Henry Zabala had two hits apiece as Yakima (17-9 second half, 35-29 overall) tied its season high of 15 safeties.

Not that Wilson needed all of them.

After yielding a first-pitch single to Chris Lofton, the right-hander allowed just one more base hit until taking the mound for the eighth having thrown only 75 pitches.

Wilson (2-3) then got a first-pitch groundout before a single, walk and his own throwing error on a slow roller toward first scored a run and ended his 91-pitch evening.

Eury De La Rosa got the final two outs of the inning, one of which plated the final run for S-K (8-18, 25-39), then struck out the side in the ninth for his seventh save.

“My changeup was really working for me tonight,” said Wilson, who faced no more than four hitters in an inning through seven. “This year I’ve straightened out a few things with some help from Coach Drabek (Bears pitching coach Doug) and the coaches I pitched for at South Bend. They’ve helped, and it’s always fun to pitch in important games.”

Yakima started with single runs in the third and fourth innings.

Zabala’s two-out base hit in the third scored Zach Walters, who had doubled, and Torrez’s fourth-frame groundout plated Raywilly Gomez whose fly to left was lost in the early evening sky and fell for a double.

Against S-K’s Devan Kline in the fifth, Walters, Arbelo and Zabala produced rapid-fire singles to load the bases, after which Gomez scored Walters with a sacrifice fly.

Then after Belza took a called third strike, Torrez hammered a drive well beyond the left-field wall for a 6-1 Bears lead.

The Volcanoes’ lone run had come in the top of the inning on a Zach Walters error, sacrifice bunt, wild pitch and groundout.

In the Bears’ half of the eighth, Walters led off with his second double and Arbelo followed with an opposite-field two-bagger over the left-fielder’s head. He then came home on a throwing error.

With Comerota and Belza pressed into duty because of injuries to Mike Freeman and Justin Hilt, Didier had to put De La Rosa No. 7 in the batting order while juggling his lineup, and the 5-foot-9, 150-pound left-hander nearly beat out a slow bouncer to short to end Yakima’s eighth.

“I didn’t want to do that,” Didier said, “but we ended up a little short on players and I didn’t want to take him out of the game and use another pitcher.”