By PAUL DELANEY
Staff Reporter
The attention of Medical Lake's AA American Legion baseball team shifts focus a bit, off their chase of a final playoff spot in the American West standings to hosting and playing in a pod of the 2010 Wood Bat Classic.
The Cardinals will kick things off early with a game Friday at 8 a.m. against Black Hills, the first of four seeding games in two days for Medical Lake, 5-9 overall and 2-7 in league play. ML meets Mead in a 6 p.m. Friday game before playing Pendleton, Ore. Saturday at 8 a.m. and Yakima at 2 p.m.
The Cards split two games last week, losing 3-0 at University on June 23 and beating Riverside 4-1 the following night. A contest Monday with Pullman rained out and neither the Greyhounds – nor the umpires – showed up in a Friday do-over. ML reportedly received a forfeit win.
The spotlight of live play-by-play radio might be just what the baseball doctor ordered. At least that seemed to be what helped cure Medical Lake's baseball ills last week.
The Cardinals put together key hits, some savvy base running and a gem of a performance on the mound in the win over Riverside at A.K. Jackson Field.
Zeb Klemke and Adam Paulson both had RBI singles to spark the decisive 3-run fourth inning for the Cardinals that broke open a scoreless game.
Two innings later, a brain fade by Riverside helped salt the contest away as Medical Lake scored their fourth run in the fifth inning. Riverside left the field after turning a double play, forgetting it took three outs before changing sides. Tyler Haynes scampered home from second on the play.
Dustin Labit had two of the eight hits for the Cardinals, the only ML player to get multiple hits.
Paulson went the distance, even though he struggled with his control early in the game. The sophomore-to-be eventually settled down, striking out 13. He gave up just one run in the bottom of the seventh on the only two Riverside hits. Paulson struck out 13 and issued eight walks.
Wednesday afternoon at University, a throwing error in the third inning allowed the Titans to score a key insurance run in the win. Then the Cards got runners to second and third base but left both stranded. Pitchers Labitm Paulson and Eric Collins scattered just four hits for Medical Lake.
Paul Delaney can be reached at [email protected].
Cardinals' Wooden
Bat Games
Friday, July 2
Medical Lake vs. Black Hills, 8 a.m.
Medical Lake vs. Mead, 6 p.m.
Saturday, July 3
Medical Lake vs. Pendleton, 8 a.m.
Medical Lake vs. Yakima, 2 p.m.
(Additional games depend on team's
record in seeding games).
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