SPOKANE — Wilder Junior got some clutch hitting and pitching in the sixth and seventh innings to hold on for a 4-1 victory over the Kennewick Phantoms in the juniors’ opening game of the AA American Legion state tournament Saturday.
Kennewick got up 1-0 in the fifth inning, but Wilder Jr. battled back with a run in the fifth and two more insurance runs in the sixth.
Carston Seibel was huge in the win. With the game tied 1-1, he hit a double to open up the fifth inning and eventually came in to score on a sacrifice fly from Abe Brenkman
In the sixth, Bryce Deleon drove in a run with a sac fly and Seibel drove in a second run with a clutch single.
Deleon pitched six innings, allowing seven hits and one earned run. He struck out four.
Ethan Swenson came in to pitch a high-stress seventh. The Phantoms got two runners on with just one out. With the tying run at the plate, Swenson got two straight groundouts to finish the game. He was credited with the victory.
Hunter Tennell scored two runs and had a hit, while Zach DeBray had a hit and a run scored.
Wilder Junior (24-6-2) returned for its second state game late Sunday after press deadline against Gonzaga Prep AA. The juniors play again at either 1 p.m. or 4 p.m. today.
Wilder Jr. 4, Kennewick Phantoms 1
Kenn. 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 — 1 7 3
WJr. 0 0 0 1 1 2 x — 4 6 1
Pitching
WJr. — Deleon 6 IP, 7 H, BB, ER, 4 K; Swenson IP, 2 BB, K.
Hitting
WJr. — Seibel 2-3, 2B, R, RBI; DeBray 1-3, R; Tennell 1-2, 2 R; Deleon 1-3, RBI; Brenkman 0-3, SF, RBI.
