Apr. 5—Box Score
At Cheney Stadium
HIGHCLIMBERS 5, TIGERS 4
Centralia 201 001 0 — 4
Shelton 002 100 2 — 5
CEN Pitching — Yeung 4 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 4 K; Orr 2 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 1 K. Highlights — Sneller 2-5, R; Rooklidge 2-4, BB, R; Johnson 1-2, RBI, BB, R.
TACOMA — A quick seven pitches. That's all it took for Centralia's one run lead to slip away against Shelton, which walked off the Tigers 5-4 under the lights of Cheney Stadium in Tacoma.
It's the Tigers tenth straight loss to open the season.
"It's night and day," Centralia coach Jake LeDuc said. "In a number of games, we have played a good game for five innings, but we haven't been able to finish. Tonight, it was six innings, and we couldn't find a way."
The Tigers led 4-3 going into the bottom of the seventh, but the first Shelton batter of the inning reached on a four-pitch walk. A well-placed bunt single on the next pitch put two on with no one out, and both runners advanced when the first pitch to the next batter sailed towards the backstop.
The next pitch was the walk-off winner, as a dribbler down the line got past the outstretched arms of Hudson Waterfield at first base.
As the Highclimbers rushed the field to celebrate, all the Tigers could do was watch as they left the field.
"They hit them where we weren't in the seventh," LeDuc said. "I hate to say it's baseball, but it's baseball. It is a simple game and it drives you crazy."
It's the second time that Shelton had to battle back, as the Tigers scored the first three runs of the game to take a 3-0 lead.
Three straight singles put the first three batters of the game on base, and an RBI walk from Jake Johnson and an RBI groundout from Brock Boone made it 2-0. Another RBI walk from Jonah Lowe gave the Tigers their three-run lead.
LeDuc was pleased with the team's offensive approach in those innings, but he also couldn't help but feel that they were still leaving some meat on the bone. They did, after all, leave seven batters on base in the first three innings, six of which were in scoring position.
"I feel like we were one hit away from being able to break their back," LeDuc said. "We had good swings all night long, just for whatever reason we couldn't get it with guys from scoring position."
Shelton clawed its way back with a pair in the bottom of the third and one in the fourth, and the game remained tied heading into the sixth.
In the sixth, the Tigers got one on the board thanks to a throwing error after a wild pitch. But again, it felt like there could have been more. A runner was picked off second with a 3-0 count and no one out during the second at-bat of the inning.
It was the second major baserunning mistake of the game, as in the fourth, a runner was thrown out trying to score from second on a base hit to right field.
"We don't get a great jump from second base on that," LeDuc said. "I think nine times out of 10 we do, but that time, we didn't."
That 4-3 scoreline held until the seventh, when the quick Shelton strike ended it.
Kadin Yeung was solid in four innings as Centralia's starter, allowing six hits and three runs while walking four and striking out four. Thomas Orr was great in relief for the first two innings, but he ended up with the loss when the final grounder found its way down the line.
"Both pitchers were great tonight," LeDuc said. "Kadin has been our best guy all season long ... He bounced back and kept us in the game for four innings, and Thomas' first two innings were great ... I'm proud as heck of the effort we gave. We just couldn't finish. We'll get ...
