HDM falls a run short of World Series

CAMAS — Hazel Dell Metro needed one more rally on Sunday.

The team from Vancouver came up one run short of a trip to the Babe Ruth World Series, losing 2-1 to Columbia Basin of Ephrata in the championship game of the Babe Ruth 15-year-olds Pacific Northwest Regional at Louis Bloch Park.

The difference was an unearned run in the top of the third inning, when an errant pick-off attempt and a fielding error allowed Emmitt Tatum to score his second run of the game.

Metro went 0 for 8 with runners in scoring position.

“I think the issue we had with this championship game is we tried to make something happen instead of letting something happen,” Metro manager Scott Binder said.

A couple of nice defensive plays foiled promising Metro at bats.

In the third, Sam Lauderdale sent a rocket to deep right that seemed certain to go for extra bases until Josh Williams made a running catch.

In the sixth, Derek Metler led off with a two-strike single to center field. Jacob Childers followed with a hard-hit grounder to third that was fielded cleanly to start a rally-killing double play.

Lauderdale scattered five hits and struck out 10 over six innings on the mound for Metro. Columbia Basin pitcher Dalton Kentner had 11 strikeouts.

It was the first loss in 12 tournament games for HDM. Metro reached the title game by rallying for three runs in the sixth inning to beat Glacier, Mont., 5-3 in the semifinals earlier Sunday.

“I want them to feel like they grew as a player and as a young man during this time,” Binder said. “This is just baseball. Life is going to go on tomorrow whether we win or lose.”