LONGVIEW — The Lefties were within two outs of beating Cowlitz, but the Black Bears came through with a two-run, bases-loaded single in the bottom of the ninth inning to win in a walk-off 8-7.
Cade Stuart (Fresno Pacific), pitched a perfect eighth. He gave up a single and a double to open the ninth inning and took the loss.
Lefties pitchers did well overall, allowing just three earned runs on nine hits. Kole Acker (Port Angeles High School and Chaffey College) started, going four shutout innings. He allowed one hit and walked four.
At the plate, Tommy Markey (Fordham) was 3-for-5 with a run scored and an RBI, while newcomer Danny Porras of Gig Harbor in his second game with the Lefties was 2-for-4 with a run scored and a walk.
Garrett Cooper (Lower Columbia) hit a double and scored a run, while Dom Dominguez (Cal State, San Bernardino) and Tyler Shulman (Harvard) each had a hit, a run scored and an RBI. Levi Joyce (Edmonds CC) had a single and three runs driven in.
Port Angeles got up 4-0 early, but Cowlitz scored five runs, all unearned, in the fifth inning, stringing together three hits after an error allowed the inning to continue.
The Lefties battled back with a three-run sixth with Cooper’s double and singles by Porras and Shulman clogging the bathpaths. The Lefties got a pair of runs on fielder’s choices.
The Lefties maintained an 8-7 lead into the bottom of the ninth. Stuart allowed two hits to put runners at second and third. John Vaara (Port Angeles High School and Edmonds CC) came in, first intentionally walking a batter to create a force out at every base. The strategy didn’t work as Cowlitz immediately came through with a base hit by Will Jesske (Nebraska) to score two runs and end the game.
Port Angeles (5-14 in West Coast League, 8-14 overall) played Cowlitz (7-12) after press deadline Wednesday and will finish up its series in Longview tonight. The Lefties return to Civic Field on Friday with a 6:35 p.m. game against the Kelowna Falcons. Saturday will be an especially busy day at Civic as there are some Dick Brown Firecracker American Legion games scheduled in the morning and afternoon, with the Lefties taking the field at 6:35 p.m.
Cowlitz 8, Port Angeles 7
PA 1 0 2 0 1 3 0 0 0 — 7 9 1
Cowlitz 0 0 0 0 5 0 1 0 2 — 8 9 1
WP: Hammergren; LP: Stuart.
Pitching
PA — Acker 4 IP, H, 4 BB; Patterson IP, 3 H, K; Verkuilen 2 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, K; Stuart 1.1 IP 2 H, ER, K; Vaara H, BB.
Hitting
PA — Markey 3-5, R, RBI; Porras 2-4, R, BB; Cooper 1-4, 2B, R; Joyce 1-4, 3 RBI, BB; Dominguez 1-4, R, RBI; Shulman 1-4, R, RBI.
