Prep baseball roundup: Gonzaga Prep downs Chiawana to claim spot in subregional title game

All was quiet on Gonzaga Prep’s end.

The Bullpups had just claimed a spot in the Greater Spokane League-Mid Columbia Conference subregional championship game after downing Chiawana 7-4 on Saturday.

But they didn’t cheer, and their fans barely clapped.

Instead, the stands were filled with angry calls from Chiawana fans, who were dumbfounded by the final play that sent their team to the loser bracket.

“Terrible!” one Riverhawks fan yelled out to the third-base umpire. “You had one job!”

The confusion started when Gonzaga Prep’s Josh Grimes left a pitch in center of the plate.

With two on in the seventh and the Riverhawks down by three, Chiawana’s Troy Simpkins reached for the ball and smacked a line drive to right field. Right fielder Jeffrey Young sprinted in and dove to barely make the catch, giving the Bullpups their second out.

Chiawana’s Collin Favor tagged up on third, took off down the line and crossed over home plate. That score would have narrowed the Bullpups’ lead to 7-5 with the tying run up at the plate.

But Gonzaga Prep coaches and fans caught Favor’s mistake. They began screaming at the Bullpups to tag third base, thinking that Favor had left the bag before the catch was made.

The Bullpups took the ball to third and the third-base umpire immediately motioned for a final out to end the inning and the game.

Chiawana coaches ran out to the umpire to argue the call as the Bullpups began lining up at the plate to shake their opponents’ hands.

“In that moment, that umpire, that’s his only job is to watch that base,” Gonzaga Prep head coach Brian Munhall said. “You can debate it all you want but that was the call.”

Gonzaga Prep, which had one fewer hit than the Riverhawks, capitalized on several other Chiawana mistakes on Saturday. The Riverhawks issued eight walks – two eventually scored – and sent three batters to first after hitting them with a pitch. The Bullpups were handed one more base after tossing a pitch behind the batter.

“We talk about getting freebies, walks, hit by pitches, and they gave us a lot today and with those we actually took some really good swings,” Munhall said.

Young had one of Gonzaga Prep’s biggest swings of the day in the bottom of the second. His drive to left-center delivered two runs for the Bullpups to give them a 3-0 lead over Chiawana.

Young and starting pitcher Connor Coballes led Gonzaga Prep with two hits apiece.

Coballes allowed Chiawana seven hits, including a two-run homer. The junior allowed another big hit in the sixth, a double that flew near the fence in centerfield, to end his run on the mound. Munhall sent out Grimes to take over for Coballes, who moved to shortstop.

“Pitching today was kind of off a little bit, but I’ve got a solid defense behind me and I can always count on everyone to make solid plays behind me,” Coballes said.

Munhall said Coballes’ pitching was solid, and the only reason he took the starter off the mound was because of league rules that limit the number of pitches a player can toss.

The pitch count is a new rule this year that prohibits coaches from allowing any pitcher to throw more than 105 pitches in a single game. With two innings left, Coballes had already thrown 103 pitches.

The win sends the Bullpups to the subregional championship game against Walla Walla, which beat Hanford 9-8 on Saturday, at Gesa Stadium in Pasco. The winner of that showing will earn a spot in the state tournament.

Chiawana hosts Mead (10-13), which eliminated Central Valley (12-9) 4-3, in a loser-out game on Thursday.

Ferris 8, Pasco 0: Nick Merkel tossed a complete-game, two-hit shutout and the Saxons (12-9) eliminated the visiting Bulldogs (4-20).

Brock Bozett and Casey Hocking drove in three runs apiece to spark the Saxons’ offense.

Ferris hosts a loser-out game against Hanford on Thursday.