WESTPORT — This time Ocosta’s traditional late-inning magic wasn’t quite enough.
Spencer Lester’s RBI single in the 10th inning enabled Toutle Lake to fend off two Wildcat comebacks for a 5-4 victory in the opening round of the District IV Class 2B Baseball Tournament on Saturday at GAR Park.
Toutle Lake, a 2-1 winner over Rainier in a district play-in game earlier in the afternoon, will face Adna in the district semifinals on Tuesday at Mossyrock.
The Pacific League champion Wildcats (14-6) will take on Pe Ell-Willapa Valley in a loser-out contest scheduled for 1 p.m. Tuesday at Adna. Ocosta and PWV split a regular-season doubleheader.
If nothing else, the Wildcats demonstrated their mettle in Saturday’s contest. Not only did they trail 3-0 after five innings, but Toutle Lake starting pitcher Jake Buck was working on a perfect game at that stage.
“I think we were a little over-aggressive with our swings instead of putting the ball in play,” Ocosta coach Mike Allton said. “Once they started (putting the ball in play), the balls started finding holes.”
A slow-starting team through the season, Ocosta touched the left-handed Buck for three runs in the sixth.
Hunter Hatton broke up the perfecto by grounding a leadoff single up the middle. He was erased at second when Noah Martin hit into a force play.
Ocosta’s Sam Quinby, who had flied out deep to center in the his two previous plate appearances, laced a two-out double into the gap in left-center to score Martin.
Zach Allton followed with another RBI double to right. When Cole Hatton’s pop fly into shallow left field was misplayed by the shortstop, the Wildcats incredibly had tied it.
Toutle Lake (13-6) regained the lead against Ocosta reliever Cole Hatton with a run in the eighth on Buck’s double, Taylor Paasch’s infield hit and Devin Hooper’s fielder’s choice grounder. Sprinting to his left to glove Hooper’s tapper, the right-handed Hatton was unable to pivot quickly enough to throw out Buck at the plate.
Hatton, however, pulled off a world-class escape act by working out of a bases-loaded, none-out situation to keep the margin at one.
That set up the Wildcats for Comeback No. 2.
Buck had reached his pitch count limit in working the regulation seven innings. Martin worked reliever Lincoln Kessler for a leadoff walk in the eighth, stole second and scored on Allton’s one-out single to left.
The Wildcats’ lone error of the well-played game came back to haunt them in the 10th. After Allton, the third Ocosta pitcher, retired the first two batters of the inning, Ridge Moss’ grounder was bobbled. A wild pitch advanced Moss to second.
Lester, who had struck out in each of his previous four trips to the plate, then lined a single to right-center to easily score Moss.
The rail-thin Moss retired the Wildcats in order in the bottom of the 10th.
A young club that includes only three seniors, the Wildcats were one of the few Pacific League champions in recent years who weren’t overmatched against representatives of the traditionally stronger Central League.
“I was very proud of how they battled back twice,” Mike Allton summed up. “There’s no quit in them. Even though we lost, we talked about taking the next step in our program and I think they did.”
Zach Allton, Cole Hatton and Matthew Hart were among the Wildcats who turned in fine defensive plays.
Toutle Lake 100 200 010 1 — 5 9 1
Ocosta 000 003 010 0 — 4 6 1
Buck, Kessler (8), Moss (10) and Grabenhorst; Hoff, C. Hatton (5), Allton (10) and Quinby.
RBI: Toutle Lake — Sweet, Paasch, Hooper, Moss, Lester. Ocosta — Allton 2, Quinby. Two hits: Toutle Lake — Grabenhorst, Vetter. Ocosta — Allton, H. Hatton. Doubles: Toutle Lake — Sweet, Buck. Ocosta — Quinby, Allton.
Winning pitcher — Kessler (walked one; struck out four). Losing pitcher — Allton (walked none; struck out two).
