YAKIMA — The Chimacum Cowboys will get another crack at the Class 1A state championship.
Chimacum escaped a seventh inning scare to hold on for a 6-4 victory over Bellevue Christian during today’s 1A baseball semifinals at County Stadium.
Landon Cray struck out the Vikings No. 3 hitter with the bases loaded and two outs to earn the save and put the Cowboys (23-2 overall) in the 1A title game for the second year in a row.
“They were excited,” Chimacum coach Jim Dunn said. “They are pretty even-keel kids, though. They’ve been here before.
“They know what it’s going to take to win.”
Chimacum, which took second last year after losing to Cashmere 5-4 in the 1A championship, will face Southwest Washington League upstart Tenino in Saturday’s final at 4 p.m.
The Beavers continued their Cinderella postseason run with a 9-4 upset of tri-district champion Meridian earlier today.
They will have their work cut out for them Saturday, with Dunn planning to put his ace, Cray, back on the mound.
“They are hot right now,” Dunn said Tenino, which qualified for state as the District IV fifth seed.
“Hopefully Cray can cool them off.”
If it wasn’t for his own heroics today, Cray may never have had that chance.
After going 3-for-4 at the plate with a double, triple and two runs scored — including the first run in a pivotal fifth-inning rally — the junior left-hander took the hill in the top of the seventh with two outs and Chimacum ahead 6-4.
With one man already on first base and the tying run at the plate, Cray gave up an infield single and a walk to load the bases.
Undeterred, he then struck out Bellevue Christian’s Ryan Fitzpatrick on three straight pitches to end the threat and the game.
Dunn said he plans on riding Cray’s arm as long as he can against Tenino in Saturday’s championship.
“If I’m taking him out, there’s a reason,” Dunn said, “and I haven’t seen a reason all year.”
Austin McConnell earned the win after going 2 2/3 innings in relief of starter Quinn Eldridge.
The junior right-hander entered the game after Bellevue Christian scored two runs each in the third and fourth innings off Eldridge to take a 4-3 lead.
McConnell retired the next eight batters in a row.
“He kept us in the game in the middle there,” Dunn said. “He pretty much mowed through their order.”
The Cowboys re-took the lead in the bottom of the fifth with a three-run rally sparked by Cray’s lead-off double
.
Devin Manix singled him in, stole second base and eventually scored the go-ahead run after Bellevue’s catcher overthrew the third baseman on another Manix stolen base attempt.
The senior finished 2-for-3 with two stolen bases and two runs scored, while Dylan Brown-Bishop was 2-for-3 with a double.
McConnell scored the third run of the fifth inning on a passed ball.
“That’s what happens when you put wheels in motion,” Dunn said.
“[Manix] is fast on the bases. He’s just a pest when he gets on there because he doesn’t stay in the same place.”
Chimacum will be looking for its second state title, and first since 2007, when it face Tenino.
Chimacum 6, Bellevue Christian 4
Bellevue Chr. 0 0 2 2 0 0 0 — 4 7 2
Chimacum 2 1 0 0 3 0 X — 6 9 0
WP- McConnell (4-1); LP- JoJo Howie; S- Cray (2)
Pitching Statistics
Bellevue Christian: Howie 5IP, 9K, BB, 9H, 6R, 5ER; DeKlerk IP.
Chimacum: Eldridge 4IP, 2K, BB, 6H, 4ER; McConnell 2.2IP, 4K, 0R 0H, BB; Cray 0.1IP, K, BB, H, 0R.
Hitting Statistics
Bellevue Christian: Howie 2-3; Coyle 2-3.
Chimacum: Cray 3-4 (2B, 3B, 2R, RBI); Manix 2-3 (2SB, RBI, 2R); Eldridge 1-3 (2B, RBI); Brown Bishop 2-3 (2B); Cornachione 1-2 (R).
