Football section coming Thursday

Just two days away now from our annual preseason football section, which will be included in Thursday’s edition. After we take a deep breath, we’ll tackle other fall previews for cross country (Sept. 9), volleyball (Sept. 10), girls swimming (Sept. 11) and girls soccer (Sept. 12).
Pouring over the 48 pages that will comprise our football section, there are three things that are especially compelling to me. In no particular order, here they are:

1) How quickly can Eisenhower rebuild with so much lost to graduation, and how well will Davis carry forward last year’s momentum with so much back.
The Cadets graduated 15 players with all-conference honors from their 11-1 team, and originally looked to have just three offensive starters back and four on defense. But Ike got a big boost this week when RB-LB Issac Sarate and OL-DL Bruce Smith were granted additional eligibility.
The Pirates have tons back, although ‘09 standouts C.J. McCray and Jackson Marquis, at this point, are not turning out. Davis still has eight returning offensive starters, seven on defense and a home game Friday against Eastmont to kick off the season.

2) How jumbled will the hierarchy in the CWAC be compared to last year? Or will the order be the same — Ellensburg, Othello, Selah and Prosser?
The program that appears most likely to rise is Prosser. Last year over the final three games, then-sophomore RB Isaac Anderson was unstoppable and amazingly durable with 96 carries and 564 yards.
All four have highly interesting — and tough — openers on Friday — Archbishop Murphy at Ellensburg, Selah at West Valley, Prosser at Kamiakin and Connell at Othello.

3) How well will La Salle transition into the SCAC West? All the coaches we’ve talked to expect the Lightning to contend immediately given its track record of dominance in the B-11 ranks. Two notes about SCAC West RBs: Zillah’s Chris Castillo has opted to not turn out this fall, and Highland’s Forrest Kopta is appealing at the state level an eligibility issue that has been denied locally.

We’ll begin to get some answers to these questions on Friday when the roller-coaster rumbles out of the gate. Enjoy the ride!

Bears take first game of showdown

YAKIMA, Wash. — As statements go, this was a big one.

And it was delivered spring-loaded.

Bursting out of the gate with a four-run first inning, the Yakima Bears then survived a bullpen adventure that was both wild and dominant en route to a 6-4 victory over East rival Spokane on Wed-nesday night at Yakima County Stadium.

Yak-ima’s victory, its 10th in the last 11 home games, extended the Bears’ second-half lead over the Indians to four games with two more games in the crucial series coming today and Friday.

“We were way up for this because it’s a big series and we’ve been playing great baseball,” said first baseman Yazy Arbelo, who went 3-for-4. “They were the first-half champions and we wanted to show we’re a force and we want the second-half title. Keeping our momentum was huge tonight.”

After losing five of their first six games to Spokane (14-13), the charging Bears (18-9) have now won four in a row over the Indians. With 11 games left in the regular season, Yakima has caught Spokane in overall record at 36-29.

The Bears pounced all over Spokane starter Juan Grullon, a Dominican southpaw who struggled first with his pick-off moves and then with his pitching.

After hitting Roberto Ortiz, Grullon quickly gave away two more bases with errant throws to first and then second, and hot-hitting Zach Walters made him pay with an RBI single straight up the middle.

Grullon nearly slipped out of trouble when Walters was later thrown out at the plate for the second out, but Raoul Torrez produced a clutch two-run single and Jhoan Pimentel followed with a run-scoring double.

“We got a good jump but you have to be careful with something like that,” said Arbelo, who contributed an RBI single to the cause in the breakout first inning. “Four runs is nothing against a team like Spokane. They are a real tough club.”

Torrez drove in another run in the third inning, giving him seven RBI in two days, and the Bears were on cruise control with starter Teo Gutierrez looking sharp. In his second start since getting called up from Missoula, the right-hander worked four scoreless innings while scattering three singles and left with Yakima up 5-0.

But like Arbelo warned, don’t get too confident with a big lead against these Indians.

Yakima went deep into its bullpen, and Spokane drew five walks in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings to climb back in the game. Scoring twice in the fifth and seventh, the Indians pulled within 5-4 before the bullpen fixed itself.

Kable Hogben, Yakima’s fifth hurler, retired the side in the eighth and Jake Hale did the same in the ninth inning to lock down his third save. The Bears’ staff jeopardized the big win with free passes, but it also set down Spokane final seven batters to finish the night.

Yakima added some breathing room in the bottom of the eighth when Arbelo singled and Michael Weber, pinch-running for Arbelo, later scored on Raywilly Gomez’s sacrifice fly. That play, in a bizarre twist, got manager Bob Didier tossed from the game while the umpires overturned themselves twice, first ruling that Weber left early as Spokane’s leftfielder appeared the juggle the fly ball and then later allowing the run.

In the end, Yakima put up 10 hits, eight of which came against two lefties. Arbelo’s three hits were big considering his .214 average against Spokane in nine previous games.

“I don’t want to say they dominated me, but they definitely had my number,” he said. “I just stayed within myself and didn’t try to hit home runs every time up. I knew if we’re going to keep this going (against Spokane), I had to get hits and get on base. We all have that attitude, and so we got this series started right.”

8/26/10 Yakima Bears update

Next game

Opponent: Spokane Indians.

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

Radio: KUTI (1460).

Website: www.yakimabears.com

Probable starting pitchers: Yakima RHP Andrew Berger (2-4, 5.44) vs. Spokane RHP Tim Stanford (4-0, 1.88).

Notes

ADDING TO THE FRONT OFFICE: Yakima Bears General Manager K.L. Wombacher was called away on real business Wednesday while his wife, Lauren, gave birth to their first child. K.L. and Lauren welcomed Madison Nicole at 5:07 p.m. When news arrived at the stadium before Wednesday’s game, Bears’ President Mike McMurray instantly appointed Madison the team’s director of youth services.

ON THE MEND: Two regulars continue to heal up from recent injuries. Outfielder Justin Hilt (59 games, .240, 23 RBI, 14 SB) missed Wednesday’s series opener with Spokane because of a sore knee suffered on Tuesday. Second baseman and leadoff hitter Mike Freeman (42 games, .333, 16 SB) missed his third straight start with a shoulder injury. He was, however, available to pinch hit on Wednesday.

AROUND THE BASES: Yakima’s season-high 15 hits Tuesday night against Salem-Keizer lifted the Bears’ home batting average to .295, best in the Northwest League. Yakima needs some work on the road, where it hits .225. … S-K reliever Devan Kline made two brief appearances totaling 11/3 innings during the five-game series in Yakima that concluded Tuesday, but it must have felt like an eternity.  Against 14 batters, Kline yielded eight hits, eight earned runs, two walks and two wild pitches. … The Bears finished their season series against S-K winning eight of 10 games and outscoring the Volcanoes 60-37.

Box Score

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NWL Standings

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Cadets dominate first cross country poll

While in a fog of working on our annual preseason prep football section, there’s big news to report on other fronts. The preseason cross country coaches poll is out and Eisenhower appears poised for a double dose of dominance. The Cadets are ranked No. 1 in 4A boys and No. 2 in girls. The boys, in fact, are ranked 22nd in the Harrier Magazine’s national poll. Here’s the state poll:

BOYS
Class 4A: 1, Eisenhower; 2, Jackson; 3, Lewis & Clark; 4, Mead; 5, Ferris; 6, Auburn Riverside; 7, Walla Walla; 8, Issaquah; 9, Gig Harbor; 10, Skyline. Others: Wenatchee, Olympia, Redmond.
Class 3A: 1, North Central; 2, University; 3, Kamiakin; 4, Seattle Prep; 5, Mt. Spokane; 6, Blanchet; 7, Everett; 8, Bellevue; 9, Shorecrest; 10, Peninsula. Others: Columbia River, Camas.
Class 2A: 1, Sehome; 2, Mark Morris; 3, Lindbergh; 4, Ellensburg; 5, Bellingham; 6, Interlake; 7, Cheney; 8, Chehalis; 9, Lakewood; 10, Cedarcrest. Others: Selah, Kingston, North Kitsap, Squalicum.
Class 1A: 1, Port Townsend; 2, Nooksack Valley; 3, Lakeside; 4, La Center; 5, Riverside; 6, Lynden Christian; 7, Charles Wright; 8, Meridian; 9, Cashmere; 10, Seattle Christian. Others: Royal, Toledo, Freeman.
Class 2B-1B: 1, Northwest Christian (Lacey); 2, Republic; 3, Mossyrock; 4, Mt. Rainier Lutheran; 5, Tri-Cities Prep; 6, North Beach; 7, Northwest Christian (Spokane); 8, White Pass; 9, Waitsburg-Prescott; 10, St. John-Endicott. Others: Bear Creek, St. George’s, Davenport.

GIRLS
Class 4A: 1, Stanwood; 2, Eisenhower; 3, Bellarmine; 4, Eastlake; 5, Gig Harbor; 6, Tahoma; 7, Central Valley; 8, Redmond; 9, Richland; 10, Lewis & Clark. Others: Davis, Stadium, Arlington, Auburn Riverside.
Class 3A: 1, Glacier Peak; 2, Shadle Park; 3, Kamiakin; 4, Peninsula; 5, Lakeside; 6, Mt. Spokane; 7, Prairie; 8, Enumclaw; 9, Camas; 10, Columbia River. Others: Bainbridge, Seattle Prep, Capital.
Class 2A: 1, Sehome; 2, Kingston; 3, Lindbergh; 4, Cedarcrest; 5, Cheney; 6, Ephrata; 7, Bellingham; 8, Interlake; 9, Lakewood; 10, Deer Park. Others: North Kitsap, Squalicum.
Class 1A: 1, Northwest; 2, Riverside; 3, Lakeside; 4, Omak; 5, La Center; 6, Nooksack Valley; 7, King’s; 8, Chelan; 9, Meridian; 10, Cashmere. Others: Seattle Academy, Bellevue Christian, Ilwaco.

Class 2B-1B: 1, Northwest Christian (Lacey); 2, White Pass; 3, Northwest Christian (Spokane); 4, St. George’s; 5, Crosspoint Academy. Others: Asotin, Waitsburg-Prescott.

A look back at State Legion

After a week of covering the American Legion state baseball tournament, one thing stood out: It was tough on pitchers.
Kelso Pacific Tech gave up nearly 10 runs a game but prevailed in the five-day tournament thanks to an offense that pounded out 71 hits and scored 56 runs.
The Spokane Bandits, who eliminated Kennewick (13-11) and Yakima Valley (17-14) in slugfests, averaged 12.2 runs in six games but could not get by Kelso in the championship final, falling 17-14.
Over the final three days, 158 runs were scored in seven games and three teams were eliminated despite scoring 11 runs or more.
Kelso, which opens Northwest Region play Thursday against Missoula, averaged 11.2 runs scored and 9.2 runs allowed. For comparson, Lakeside Recovery won last year’s state title with 9.6 runs scored and 2.0 runs allowed.

For the Yakima Valley Pepsi Pak, leadoff hitter J.R. Weigel posted a team-best .467 batting average over six postseason games. He and Cory Urquhart tied for the team lead in runs with 10.
Thomas Wilcox hit .464 with 10 RBI, nine runs, four doubles and three home runs (12 for the season), and Urquhart batted .462.
Ethan Flory paced the team with 11 RBI, five of which came against Kelso with a grand slam. Kurt Lindemann homered twice and hit for the cycle in the postseason.

Bandits upend Pak

Yakima Valley season ends despite 14 runs, 17 hits ||

SELAH, Wash. — To anyone associated with the Yakima Valley Pepsi Pak, 14 runs and 17 hits should have been enough.

In a loser-out game just a day away from playing for a regional berth, that really should have been enough to keep the season alive.

“If someone would’ve said today you can have 14 runs and 17 hits I would’ve taken it,” said Pak coach Mike Archer, whose team had just faced the Spokane Bandits in the American Legion state tournament on Saturday.

PHOTO GALLERY

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Archer said those words with a still-numb expression because that amount of offense was not enough as the Bandits sprayed hits all over Carlon Park like a pinball machine and earned a 17-14 victory that brought an end to Yakima Valley’s season.

“I’d have taken that for sure,” Archer added, “and if someone would’ve said we’d give up 17 runs and 22 hits I’d have laughed. These are all good teams, and Spokane hit the ball well today.”

Adding to the oddity of the day, the Pak pounced on Spokane for two runs in the first inning and, after an hour delay while a thunderstorm squall blew over, built its lead to 5-0 in the second inning.

But the Bandits, who have survived four loser-out games in the last week all at Carlon Park, outscored the Pak 16-1 from the bottom of the second through the sixth inning.

The nightmare frame for Yakima Valley came in the fifth when Spokane rolled up six runs on seven hits, including four doubles, against three Pak pitchers.

“The kids have really built up some confidence battling through these (loser out) games,” said Bandits coach Bobby Carlson. “It’s like no matter what happens they have no fear. And at the plate, the guys are really in a groove.”

But just like in Friday’s 15-12 loss to Kelso, the Pak did not wilt under the weight of a big deficit.

Yakima Valley went from nearly being eliminated on the 10-run rule in the seventh inning to having the tying run at the plate in the eighth and ninth. A five-run rally in the eighth, sparked by Kurt Lindemann’s leadoff home run, got the Pak within 17-13, and Spokane held on in the ninth with its lead down to three and runners on first and third.

“We’re almost 10-runned but then come back to make a game of it twice,” Archer noted. “We always preach competing for a full game and that’s what this team did all season. That’s why they’re here.”

In a game with 31 runs and 39 hits, it was clearly a rugged day for both pitching staffs. But there was one difference maker — Spokane’s Jacob Olsufka.

The 5-foot-10 righthander from University High and Pacific Lutheran University took over after the weather delay, inheriting a 3-1 count against Lindemann with the bases loaded and one out. He walked Lindemann with his first pitch and yielded another bases-loaded walk and an RBI single to Tyler Gallaway to put the Bandits in a 5-0 hole.

But after that, Olsufka held the Pak to five singles over the next five innings, allowing Spokane to build a 16-6 lead heading into the seventh.

The Bandits, who eliminated Kennewick on Friday with 13 runs on 18 hits, advance to a 3 p.m. game today against either the Twin City Titans or Pacific Tech of Kelso. Twin City and unbeaten Pacific Tech were still playing at press time Saturday night.

The Pak finished the season 39-16 with its first Central Washington League title in eight years.

“There were eight very good teams here,” Archer said, “and we were in the final four.”

Yakima Valley         230    100    251    —    14    17    3
Spokane Bandits    023    362    10x    —    17    22    1
Douglass, Wilcox (5), Hinton (5) and Snider; McNeill, Olsufka (2), McInnis (8), Hawk (8) and Muelheims.
Highlights — Yakima Valley: J.R. Weigel 4-7, run, RBI; Alex Fickes 4-7, 2 runs, 2 RBI; Cory Urquhart 2-6, run, RBI; Kurt Lindemann 2-3, solo HR, 2 runs, 3 RBI; Thomas Wilcox 2-5, run, RBI; Tyler Gallaway 2-4, 2 runs, 2 RBI. Spokane: Jacob Olsufka 3-5, 2b, 3 runs, RBI; Beau Bozett 3 runs, 2 sb; Gerhard Muelheims 3-5, 3 runs, 4 RBI; Josh Martin 4-6, 2b, 3 runs, 3 RBI; Jordan McInnis 3-4, 4 RBI; David McNeill 3-5, 2b, 2 runs, RBI; Dean Neilson 3-5, 2b, run, RBI.

Final State Legion update

2010 AMERICAN LEGION STATE TOURNAMENT

WEDNESDAY
Game 1: Kelso Pacific Tech 14, Centralia Sobe-Toyota Lizards 3.
Game 2: Twin City Titans 9, Kennewick Bandits 0.
Game 3: Spokane Bandits 8, Lakeside Recovery 6.
Game 4: Yakima Valley Pepsi Pak 9, Yakima Pepsi Beetles 8.

THURSDAY
Game 5: Centralia 10, Lakeside Recovery 6 (loser out).
Game 6: Kennewick 8, Yakima 3 (loser out).
Game 7: Kelso 8, Spokane 6.
Game 8: Yakima Valley 6, Twin City 4.

FRIDAY
Game 9: Spokane 13, Kennewick 11 (loser out).
Game 10: Twin City 10, Centralia 6 (loser out).
Game 11: Kelso 15, Yakima Valley 12.

SATURDAY
Game 12: Spokane 17, Yakima Valley 14 (loser out).
Game 13: Twin City 11, Kelso 1.

SUNDAY
Game 14: Spokane 14, Twin City 2 (loser out).
Game 15: Kelso, 17, Spokane 14,  championship, winner to regional in Spokane.

Kelso fends off rally-minded Pak

SELAH, Wash. — Two big deficits were not enough to put away the stubborn Yakima Valley Pepsi Pak Friday night.

But a third one was.

Unable to hold leads of 8-0 and 12-8, the upstart Pacific Tech crew from Kelso delivered the final blow in the ninth inning, scoring three runs for a 15-12 victory in the American Legion state tournament at Carlon Park.

In bringing an end to Yakima Valley’s 14-game win streak, Pacific Tech is the lone remaining unbeaten team in the tournament, which has whittled its field to four teams this weekend.

The Pak (39-15) will play the Spokane Bandits today in a loser-out game at 3 p.m., and Pacific Tech (29-13) will face the Twin City Titans at 7 p.m.

When Kelso put up seven runs in the top of the fourth inning, opening an 8-0 lead while the Pak had yet to get a base hit, an odd hush fell over the homefield faithful.

But Yakima Valley responded quickly, getting four runs back in the bottom of the fourth thanks largely to Matt Snider’s two-out, three-run double.

The Pak kept rolling in the fifth and drew even as Ethan Flory crushed a grand slam off the first pitch he saw from Jake Look, who had just replaced starter Braydon Poole.

In a game with 31 hits and 17 walks, the crooked numbers kept on coming.

The two teams traded four-run outbursts in the sixth with J.R. Weigel’s two-out RBI single pulling the Pak back into a 12-12 tie.

“We made a couple big mistakes early and had to fight back,” said assistant coach Rob Archer. “Our focus now is just to battle and get through tomorrow.”

Kurt Lindemann was 4-for-5 with three runs, Snider finished 3-for-4 with four RBI and Flory drove in five runs for the Pak.

“It’s a credit to the kids the way they fought back,” Archer added. “We were down 8-0, didn’t have a hit until the fourth and it looked like it might be a 10-run game. But we scraped back and played hard — that’s been their approach all season. That’s how we have to play tomorrow.”

Yakima Valley closer Jacob Vetsch, making his third state appearance in as many days, stopped the bleeding in the sixth by getting the final two outs and then blanked Kelso in the seventh and eighth.

But Pacific Tech opened the ninth with three straight singles, the go-ahead tally plated by Carl Johnson on Lane Sari’s third base hit. Mike Murray scored the second run, capping a big evening — 5-for-6 with two doubles, two RBI and three runs.

Surprising Pacific Tech, which lost to Twin City in its regional and came back for the second berth, has scored 37 runs during its 3-0 run at state.

Kelso                      100    704    003    —    15    18    0
Yakima Valley    000    444    000    —    12    13    3
Poole, Look (5), Giles (6) and O’Neill; K. Fickes, Wagar (4), Vetsch (6) and Snider.
Highlights: Mike Murray (K) 5-6, 2 2b, 3 runs, 2 RBI; Lane Sari (K) 3-6, 4 runs, RBI, sb; Garrett McCoy (K) 3-5, 2 runs, 3 RBI; Nolan Enriquez (K) 2-5, 2-run HR, 3 RBI; Kurt Lindemann (YV) 4-5, 2b, 3 runs; J.R. Weigel (YV) 2-5, 2 RBI; Thomas Wilcox (YV) 2-6, 2 2b, 2 runs, RBI; Ethan Flory (YV) 1-3, grand slam, 5 RBI; Matt Snider (YV) 3-4, 2b, 4 RBI.

Late show from Pak

Lindemann’s ninth-inning homer lifts Pak ||

SELAH, Wash. — With the two best teams from the best league in the state inseparable for eight innings, the American Legion state baseball tournament was poised for a special moment Thursday night.

And Kurt Lindemann pounced on it at his first chance.

Driving a first-pitch fastball over the rightfield wall for a two-run home run in the ninth inning, Lindemann lifted the Yakima Valley Pepsi Pak to a 6-4 victory over the Twin City Titans and launched his home crowd at Carlon Park into celebration.

“It was the ninth inning, we had a guy on and I knew I had to get a big hit,” said the clean-up hitting rightfielder. “I wasn’t thinking, ‘go up there and be aggressive,’ I was just looking for a fastball inner half.”

PHOTO GALLERY

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And with Travis Fuller’s first offering, there it was.

“I got it, too,” Lindemann smiled. “I knew it was going out.”

With Lindemann’s clutch shot and D.J. Smith’s stout pitching, the Pak (39-14) remain in the winner’s bracket and will take a 14-game win streak into today’s 7 p.m. game against Kelso Pacific Tech (28-13), which defeated the Spokane Bandits 8-6.

Smith, who beat Bellingham with eight-plus innings on Sunday, recovered powerfully on three days rest and managed to shut out the Titans for six of his 8 2/3 innings.

With Twin City the home team, the Titans had one last crack after Lindemann’s go-ahead homer. And they didn’t go quietly.

The left-handed Smith put two down in a hurry with his fifth strikeout and a 6-3 groundout, but then he gave up a double and issued just his second walk, bringing the winning run to the plate.

With Smith at 117 pitches, pitching coach Rob Archer sent in closer Jacob Vetsch and he got A.J. Griffiths to fly out to right for the final out.

“I was tired. Right now my arm feels like it’s going to fall off,” said Smith, who improved to 9-3. “I got two outs and I battled, but I also had complete faith in Vetsch. He goes in and gets it done.”

Smith only hiccup came in the third when Twin City put together a string of four hits in five at-bats for three runs. After that, all the Titans got on the board was Zach Rapacz’s RBI double in the eighth.

Rapacz’s hit, though, countered Matt Snider’s two-out RBI single in the top of the eighth and knotted the score at 4-4, setting up Lindemann’s heroics.

“I felt ready today but I put in a lot of hard work to recover,” said Smith. “A lot of ice, some running and a good massage. Yesterday maybe I could have thrown two, three innings. But today was felt strong again.”

The Titans (41-18) won three of four games against the Pak in early June and Garrett Anderson, Thursday’s starter, threw five innings in a seven-inning 6-0 shutout.

But Anderson had trouble locating in the rematch, issuing five walks and hitting a batter. Three double plays helped erase some of those free passes, but the Pak chased Anderson in the fifth and drew even at 3-3 on Lindemann’s RBI single.

Leadoff hitter J.R. Weigel went 3-for-5 and scored two runs, and Alex Fickes reached base four times with three walks and a hit-by-pitch, the latter preceding Lindemann’s fourth home run of the season.

The Central Washington League can still have three teams in the final four with the two Tri-Cities teams in loser-out games today — Kennewick vs. the Spokane Bandits at noon followed by Twin City vs. Centralia at 3 p.m.

Yakima Valley    100    020    012    —    6    10    1
Twin City              003    000    010    —    4    10    2
Smith, Vetsch (9) and Snider; Anderson, Fuller (5), Drury (9) and Wolf.
Highlights: J.R. Weigel (YV) 3-5, 2 runs; Kurt Lindemann (YV) 2-4, run, sb, HR, 3 RBI; D.J. Smith (YV) 8.2 IP, 5 K, 2 BB; Drew Oord (TC) 2-4, 2b, 3b, run, RBI; Zach Rapacz (TC) 2-4, 2b, RBI; Matt Minnich (TC) 1-1, 2b.

Rivalries resumed

Sixth Pak-Beetle clash last of three rivalry games on tap as state Legion tourney opens today||

YAKIMA — When the American Legion state baseball finals open today at Carlon Park, there is one word that will echo all day long and bring a sharp edge to every inning of every game.

Rivalry.

Three of the four first-round games involve longtime league rivals — all of whom recently played a four-game series — and the 7 p.m. nightcap will feature the sixth meeting of the summer between the Yakima Pepsi Beetles and host Yakima Valley Pepsi Pak.

“It should be an exciting opening day for players and fans,” said Pak coach Mike Archer. “Three rivalry games — what’s better than that?”

Longview Pacific Tech and the Centralia Sobe-Toyota Lizards square off in the 9 a.m. opener, and the Kennewick Bandits clash with the Twin City Titans at, appropriately, high noon.

The Pak (37-14) made sure it was among the elite eight by cruising through its homefield regional, winning 22-5 and 11-2 over the weekend to extend its win streak to 12 games.

With a highly efficient use of its pitching and a ton of hitting while beating Sumner and Bellingham, Yakima Valley established itself as one of this week’s favorites to earn a trip to the Northwest regional Aug. 5-9 in Spokane, which is also the site of the Legion World Series.

Starters Trent Douglass and D.J. Smith combined to work 141?3 of the 16 innings — 11 of which were scoreless — and they had a nasty 13-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

“We’re in good position with our pitching,” Archer said. “Trent and D.J. had great games and we were able to hold (Lukas) Hinton back, although he was ready to go if we needed him. We’re pretty deep with our arms, and we think it sets up well over five days for us.”

The Pak, which has finished second at state in each of the last three years, had plenty of offensive stars over its 33-run weekend. Cory Urquhart went 5-for-5 with six RBI against Sumner, and Thomas Wilcox clubbed two home runs and drove in five against Bellingham. Wilcox has been especially hot lately, batting .652 over his last six games and raising his season total of homers to 12.

After Saturday’s first round of regional games, the Beetles looked like a longshot to reach the state finals following a humbling 18-0 loss to the Spokane Blue Devils in Centralia.

But Sunday saw a complete turnaround with Yakima ousting Bellevue 6-5 and then earning a huge dose of revenge with a 15-8 win over the Blue Devils.

“We had some rough games along the way this season, but the kids always bounced back and they did it again,” said Yakima coach Mike Moore. “That first game we took a beating but we put it behind us. After we got by that first game (vs. Bellevue) the kids we’re excited to play Spokane again.”

The Beetles (25-32-1) produced 21 runs on 27 hits Sunday and got sturdy pitching from starters Michael Woodkey and Tim Roddy.

“Our pitchers threw strikes, and we fielded well,” Moore said of Sunday’s loser-out games. “The last couple weeks we’ve hit well, not striking out as much and getting good at-bats. That’s a big plus for us.”

Yakima Valley is 5-0 against the Beetles this season with a 59-28 scoring advantage. Their last meeting was the closest with the Pak winning 14-12 in eight innings on July 20.

That half the field comes from the Central Washington League for the second year in a row surprises no one. It was, after all, one of the driving forces behind implementing a regional format in 2008.

“It shows the quality of the league, and it’s been that way year in and year out,” said Archer, who is in his 27th season as the Pak’s head coach. “There’s a lot of strong tradition in the league, and having regionals has been a better way to make sure the eight best teams get this far.”

Yakima Valley edged Twin City by a game for the CWL title, allowing a non-Tri-Cities team to claim the top spot for the first time since 2002. Third-place Kennewick won three of four over Twin City last week, spoiling the Titans’ title bid.

The winners and losers of today’s Yakima Valley-Yakima and Kennewick-Twin City games will be paired in Thursday’s second round.

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