Riverdogs 17U baseball open up summer slate with 2-2 finish in Boise
BOISE, Idaho — The Columbia Basin Riverdogs 17U summer baseball team kicked off its 2020 schedule over the weekend in Boise, Idaho.
The Riverdogs finished the weekend with a 2-2 record, falling in the semifinals on Sunday afternoon to close out the weekend. The Riverdogs kicked off their weekend slate with a 4-3 win over Bulldogs Baseball 16U.
The Riverdogs scored four runs in the fifth inning to erase a 3-0 deficit and take the lead, winning after just five innings. With a full count at the plate, Blaine MacDonald’s triple brought home the winning run in the fifth inning.
Maddox Gwinn drove in three runs in the game, finishing 1-1 from the plate. Merrit Jansen tossed seven strikeouts in three innings on the mound, allowing two runs on three hits.
NW Premier 16U got the best of the Riverdogs in their game on Saturday, June 13, taking a 4-0 win after just four innings. The Riverdogs were out-hit 4-1, with Miguel Vela securing the only hit for Columbia Basin.
The Riverdogs rebounded with a win to open up Sunday’s slate of play, defeating RSP Baseball 16U 8-6. Columbia Basin opened up a 6-0 lead early on thanks to a five-run barrage in the top of the second inning.
RSP Baseball responded, cutting the deficit to just one before the top of the fourth inning. A pair of runs from the Riverdogs in the fourth inning helped secure the five-inning win. Seth Olson finished 2-3 at the plate for the Riverdogs, knocking in three RBIs. Jacob Martinez led the Riverdogs with three runs scored in the win.
The final game of the weekend was ended when “time limit” was called by the umpire, with the Riverdogs behind 8-6 to The Rock 16U heading to the bottom of the sixth. The Riverdogs finished with nine hits to just six for their opponent in the final matchup of the weekend.
Eight separate Riverdogs secured a hit in the loss. Cooper Correia finished 2-2 from the plate, with one run earned and one RBI.
Riverdogs coach Jaime Vela said in the first weekend back on the diamond, there were definitely still some communication parts to get in sync.
The Riverdogs have been practicing in limited groups for the last couple of weeks after Grant County shifted into Phase 2 of the reopening plan. Vela said they’ve tried to do as much as they could while ensuring to not bend the rules.
The Riverdogs will head to one of their biggest tournaments of the summer this week, kicking off play on Thursday in Bozeman, Montana, at the Bucks Invitational.