Team went 1-3 versus elite teams in Tacoma tourney
The Spokane Blue Devils are finding out what it might be like if any of them are fortunate to play minor league professional baseball by experiencing a seemingly endless amount of travel and a game-a-night pace.
Back in town for a brief moment of time after spending last weekend 300 miles to the west in Tacoma, following a brief two-game home stand, they travel 400 miles to the east to play in the Belgrade, Mont. American Legion Tournament.
“I told the guys if you want to know at least a little bit of the sense of minor league baseball, you’re living it right now,” Blue Devils head coach Steve Hare said.
The Blue Devils knew they would be playing some of the West Side’s elite select teams. What came as a surprise to Hare was it was a wood bat tournament.
“I did not see anything about wood bats,” Hare said. “We were a little frazzled, but it was an all turf infield so the guys could use their metal cleats.”
Big League Edge hammered the Blue Devils 10-1 in the opener June 19. The Seattle Dodgers took a 9-1 victory to cap the first day. The NPA Tugs won 7-0 Saturday before the Blue Devils broke into the win column with a 10-2 win over the Seattle Dodgers Red.
Despite some one-sided losses in the first three contests, the Blue Devils were in every game they played, except for a handful of innings.
“We would have one or two bad innings with some errors happening that allowed some runs to score,” Hare said. “Our bats really didn’t come alive until Saturday’s game.”
The game versus the Seattle Dodgers was a perfect example where the Blue Devils saw a 0-0 tie blow up as Seattle scored three runs in the top of the fifth, four more in the sixth and a pair in the seventh. Medical Lake’s Brayden Hale started the game, pitched 5-1/3rd innings, surrendered seven runs with four of them earned.
“He kept us right in it” Hare said. “The tough thing with our team is we don’t have one of those power pitchers where if something happens behind them that they’re able to power the next batter away with a strikeout.”
The Blue Devils’ Cory Wagner is the closest to that, Hare said of the Medical Lake player. “Our pitchers rely heavily on the guys behind them making plays.”
“When we do that we are a tough team to beat,” Hare said. “But when we don’t it just prolongs those guys.”
Despite the 1-3 trip, the Blue Devils got to see some of what Hare called, “Stellar ballplayers.” Every pitcher was as hard a thrower as they’ve seen all year. Some were college-bound to Division-I programs.
A couple opponents were draft picks who had contracts on the table awaiting signatures, Hare said. “It was good for our guys to see that.”
Hare said he thought the Blue Devils might have been more competitive had he not lived by the rule he does in non-league games where everyone plays. “If I had put my best nine out there it would have been a much different story,” Hare said.
In their win over the Dodgers’ Red team, Hale was 2-for-2 with three RBIs and a run scored. Hale also had a hit against the NPA Tugs.
The Montana tournament will feature competition which is more American Legion focused. “For this one you will see a wide variety of levels,” Hare said. “It’s a pretty competitive tournament, not like we saw last week.”
While the emphasis is on the games immediately in front of them, Hare said he has peeked into the future a little further to the Wood Bat Tournament that the Blue Devils host at Mead High School. “I am trying to make sure I have all my ducks in a row for that,” he said.
Paul Delaney can be reached at [email protected].
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