Ontario beats Vale, wins Treasure Valley Invitational
Bryson Sap named
Most Valuable Player
By Ray Rodriguez
Argus Observer
Sunday, March 23, 2008 3:21 AM PDT
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| Ontario catcher Victor Machuca (left) blocks the plate as Vale’s Garrett Brown barrels in during the fourth inning of the championship game of the Treasure Valley Invitational Baseball Tournament Saturday in Fruitland. Brown was called out on the play. Ontario won the game in extra innings, 5-4. |
Fruitland - One blue trophy is out of the way, now the quest for the real blue trophy begins.
Miguel Rios drove in Ryan Laubacher with a bunt in the top of the eighth inning to complete the come-from-behind 5-4 win over Vale in the championship game of the Treasure Valley Invitational Tournament Saturday in Fruitland.
“Our goal this year is the championship,” Ontario head coach Les Horn said. “This is the first one. We want to win our location next week at Bucks Bags, we want to win the GOL (Greater Oregon League), and we want to win the state championship.”
Even after throwing 105 pitches after seven innings and the game tied at four. Vale head coach Rick Yraguen decided to keep starting pitcher Tyler Pirrie in the ball game for three more outs.
But down the stretch, Vale did not make plays when they needed them.
Pirrie walked Laubacher to lead off the inning, and two passed balls later, Laubacher was standing on third base with nobody out.
Yraguen came out with the hook, and in came freshman reliever Kyle Barras to try to keep the game knotted.
Barras walked Jake Turner to put runners on the corners and Rios was the next batter. Rios laid down the bunt to Vale third baseman Tyler Huston, who bobbled the ball on his attempt to the plate. Huston quickly regrouped and fired to first to barely nip Rios for the out and Ontario was up 5-4.
Barras settled down and struck out Guillermo Garcia and Jake Davidson to end the inning.
In the bottom of the eighth, Ontario reliever Riley Horn struck out Vale’s Darin Johnson, and retired Garrett Brown on a groundout. Vale’s Nate Rutten was the Vikings final hope, but there were no miracles on this day however, and Rutten lofted a lazy fly ball to Chase Fields for the final out.
“The come-from-behind wins show that we have a team and shows that we are a team that is capable of a lot of things,” Sap, who was named tournament Most Valuable Player said. “I’m looking forward to a bright future with all of them.”
The game was tied up at 2 in the top of the sixth inning, when Bryson Sap led the off the inning with a single. Sap then stole second and third base, and Laubacher gave the Tigers a 3-2 lead with a single.
Vale regained the lead at 4-3 with two runs in the bottom of the sixth. Johnson reached base after a hit by pitch and Brown chased Johnson home with a double. One out later, Ryan Nyborg drove in Brown with a single to center.
In the top of the seventh, Garcia kicked off the inning for the Tigers with a single and teammate Matt Anthony entered as a pinch runner.
Two pitches later, Pirrie appeared to have Anthony picked off first and the senior tossed the ball to Brown. Brown threw the ball to Barras, who had the ball bounce of his glove into short left field. Anthony was on second base with no outs. Davidson was then issued a walk and Fields hit a dribbler that bounced under Pirrie’s glove for the infield single to load the bases. Ontario’s Josh Mejia was up next and the sophomore hit a bullet to Brown, who bobbled his throw to the plate. Brown recovered and tagged the base before Mejia for the out.
Pirrie then got out of the jam with back-to-back strikeouts.
Pirrie went seven innings, struck out eight and allowed seven hits in the loss.
