Two Southern Washington Senior Babe Ruth rivals met for a key doubleheader at Olympic Stadium on Thursday evening, but only one of them came away with the wins.
RBI-Winlock, which won the Aaron Foote Memorial Tournament at Olympic Stadium earlier this month, continued to enjoy the good luck the old ballpark has afforded them with a Southwest Washington League doubleheader win over the Grays Harbor Longshore Hawks, 10-4 and 12-3.
Longshore was playing its second league doubleheader in two days and were shorthanded. However, the schedule won’t give it much of a break with doubleheaders against RBI on Saturday in Winlock and Twin Cities at home on Sunday.
On Wednesday, Longshore swept Willapa Harbor, 10-0 and 14-6, at Raymond.
“We were lacking energy and we need to reevaluate what we’re doing; we can’t just go through the motions and win games,” Longshore Hawks coach Dave Hinchen said. “The kids are coming back from football camp, basketball game, other activities and there’s no energy. Hopefully, we’re able to figure it out.”
RBI 12, Longshore 3
A tight first four innings saw Longshore take a 3-2 lead after four innings in this doubleheader nightcap.
Hunter Hinchen’s RBI single to right field gave the Hawks the lead in the bottom of the fourth. Peyton Quintanilla and Garrett Bradley had back-to-back RBI singles in the third inning to tie the game off RBI starter Dylan Stakelin.
RBI scored single runs in the first and second innings to continue its good fortune from the opening contest. The visitors tied the game in the fifth to set up some possible dramatics in the sixth and seventh innings.
Longshore’s Sean McAllister scattered five hits and struck out three in five innings of work. Reliever Anthony Fenton came in in the sixth and RBI’s bats heated up.
With two outs in the sixth, RBI pushed four runs across on four consecutive singles, a throwing error and a wild pitch to sieze control of the contest. In both games, RBI combined for 26 hits off Longshore pitchers.
In the seventh, Fenton had trouble finding the strike zone, walking four batters — including two with the bases loaded — before he was lifted for Oscar Escalante for the final two outs of the frame.
RBI’s Seth Butler led all batters with four hits, including a double, and three RBI.
RBI 10, Longshore 4
Longshore found a way to get to RBI starter Austin Cantrell in the opening game, but couldn’t string enough hits together to push runs across the plate.
Cantrell scattered eight hits in his complete-game victory, striking out seven, walking two and hitting two batters. He got the lead for good in the fourth inning when RBI broke open a 1-1 tie with a four-run frame off starter Cody Williams.
RBI continued the hit parade, racking up 15 hits overall, with runs in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings against Williams and reliever Jackson Folkers. Also, four Longshore errors in the field helped RBI’s cause as well.
Garrett Bradley, who tumbled rounding second base in the sixth inning after he knocked home Longshore’s final run in the game, led the team with two hits, both doubles.
