CHENEY — Back-to-back losses to Kennewick and Southridge last week bounced Cheney out of the district tournament and closed the book on the Blackhawks season.
Cheney matched up with No. 1 ranked Kennewick in the opening round on Saturday, May 7 and suffered a lopsided 13-3 loss to the Lions. The Blackhawks needed a win over the Suns to stay alive but came up on the short end of the scoreboard, 6–1.
Kennewick 13
Cheney 3
Cheney went down in order in the top of the first inning. Three singles, a double, five walks and two Blackhawk errors put Kennewick up 10-0 in the home half of the frame.
Cheney erased the goose egg of the board in the top of the second on an RBI single to right by Isaac Nesbitt, scoring Eli Chabot from second base. The Blackhawks looked poised to get back in it in the top of the fourth when an Eli Chabot single, sandwiched between two walks, loaded the bases with no outs. But Nesbitt was caught looking on a called third strike and Carson Jeffries got picked off third base for two quick outs. Cheney was able to push two across the dish on a Lions fielding error and a delayed steal to make it 10-3 Kennewick.
The Lions added three runs in the bottom of the fifth to go up by double digits and end the game on the 10-run rule.
“I think our kids really got an eye opener in the crossover,” Head Coach Rob Beamer said. “Once the first inning was done, we played them pretty tough though.”
Southridge 6
Cheney 1
The first run of the ball game was posted on the board in the bottom of the second inning when Southridge scored on a two-out single. A Quinn Hubbs leadoff walk and a Jamel Chabot single put Blackhawk runners on first and second in the top of the third inning. Carson Jeffries’s sacrifice bunt moved both into scoring position. Isaac Nesbitt’s sacrifice fly to right field scored Quinn from third base and Cheney evened it a 1–1. Eli Chabot flew out to center field to end the inning.
Southridge broke the tie with a run in the bottom of the fourth and then added four more runs in the bottom of the sixth to push the score to 6-1, Suns. The Blackhawks had one more chance to get back in it, but the team went down in order, and Southridge chalked up the win and bounced Cheney out of postseason play.
Despite the team’s sixth-place finish in league play and the early exit from the district tournament, coach Beamer said this young team made notable strides in the 2021-22 season.
“We went from a one-win team (last season) to an 8-win team (this season),” Beamer said. “I had four sophomores who played every game and six freshmen who got their feet wet at the varsity level, so I am very excited about the future of Cheney baseball.
“I also have some incoming freshman that I will get to work with this summer who are going to make an impact on the team. If I could stress one area to improve it would be putting the ball in play at the plate. We had way too many strike outs this year and by putting the ball in play we could put more pressure on the opposing team.”
Beamer said the young players will get a chance to hone their skills and gain some much-needed experience during summer ball action in June.
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