Vikes Punch Playoff Ticket
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Yakima Valley | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 1 |
|
Big Bend | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 1 | X | 9 | 7 | 1 |
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Yakima Valley | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 10 | 4 |
|
Big Bend | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 11 | 1 |
With the final two games of the regular season being played this past weekend at Big Bend Community College, the Vikes had their backs against the wall as a loss would end their season.
With serious playoff implications at stake, the Vikes handed the ball to none other than Hunter Gibson. Gibson coming off of short rest did what he needed to do, by tossing 6 quality innings while striking out 5, with the only blemish of the day being a two-run homerun surrendered in his final inning of work. The Viking offense was up to the challenge facing off against a tough left landed Washington State commit in Carson Judd. The Vikes knocked Judd out of the game in the fifth before taking it to the Yakima bullpen scoring 3 in the fifth and 5 in the sixth with a bases loaded three RBI double from Heath Hachkowski. Hachkowski led the way going 2-4 with 4 RBI's along with Jett Nelson going 2-4 and driving in two completing the much needed victory by a score of 9-3.
With the season on the line, Hayden Schooler took the bump in game two. Schooler put together a solid outing going 5 2/3 innings, only giving up two runs and striking out 5 leaving the game in an 8-2 ball game. After tossing three innings in game one, James MacRae was asked to go out again. MacRae threw an inning and a third of shutout baseball but ran out of gas in the 8th as he allowed two hits and hit a batter before exiting the game with the bases loaded and nobody out. Zack Geertsen took over and between soft contact and defensive miscues, Yakima Valley managed to claw their way back and tie the game up at 8. The Vikes were unable to score in the bottom of the 8th despite having a runner at third and nobody out, before throwing up a zero in the top half of the 9th and looking to walk it off. Zack Geersten led off the inning with a clutch two strike single, followed by two defensive miscues by the Yaks on bunts from Kyle Belich and Kalia Augustin resulting in the bases loaded and nobody out, with sophomore centerfielder Kai Jones coming to the plate. Jones worked a 2-0 count and ambushed a fastball hitting a walk off single to the right centerfield gap to send the Vikes to their 5th consecutive playoff birth.