Chino HR in 8th inning sinks Lakers
COLUMBIA FALLS - The moment was fleeting - and the total damage didn't show immediately.
But that didn't make it any less fatal.
It took only a moment, but the fate of the Kalispell Lakers was sealed.
Tied 5-all in the top of the eighth inning with the Chino, Calif., Reds in Wednesday's Sapa-Johnsrud Memorial Tournament morning game, Kalispell pitcher Matt Venturini threw a two-out, 0-2 pitch to Reds catcher Robert Pachucka.
"Guy laced it into right - he shouldn't have been able to touch it," a disappointed Laker coach Mike McFarland said afterward.
Pachucka was standing on first base when the next Chino batter, left fielder Eric Bell, blasted a shot over the fence in left center - and Chino went on to claim a 7-5 victory.
"It's hard to believe we lost that game," McFarland said.
The loss dropped Kalispell to 2-1 in American pool play. Chino is 1-0.
"I think Matt (Venturini) was having trouble locating some of his pitches," said McFarland. "But he battled all day. I'm proud of him for the way he pitched today."
The two teams fought a seesaw battle for most of the morning/early afternoon at Sapa-Johnsrud Memorial Field.
Chino led 3-1 after two innings, but the Lakers rallied with three hits and three runs in the fourth to take a 4-3 lead.
Chino first baseman Javiar Landeros answered with a two-out, solo home run in the fifth.
The Lakers had their own reply in the bottom of the sixth - a solo shot to left field by third baseman Sam Freudenberg - his first of the year.
"That was a nice hit by Sam," McFarland said. "We'll probably never hear the end of it," he smiled.
Kalispell enjoyed a 5-4 lead with three outs to go.
The first two Chino batters went down fairly quietly in the top of the seventh, but the third, shortstop Richard Nino, was hit by a pitch. He moved to second base on a walk and scored on an infield error.
"(The Reds) take advantage of every mistake you make. There were a couple little fielding errors, a couple of at-bats we'd like to have back … but other than that … for the most part, we played solid baseball.
"Our team is pretty upset," the coach said. "We've just been playing so well. We've been having great at-bats. As long as they stick together, we'll bounce right back."
Stefan Malkuch was 4-for-5 on the day for the Lakers, Geoff Hogan was 3-for-3 and Freudenberg was 2-for-4 with a double and the homer.
Pachucka was 3-for-4 for the Reds.
The Lakers will send Geoff Hogan to the mound when they take on Spokane at 1 p.m. today at Memorial Field in Whitefish.
REDS 7, LAKERS 5, 8 innings
Chino 120 010 12 - 7 8 2
Kalispell 100 301 00 - 5 9 1
Cory Gerritsen, Nicholas Compton (7) and Robert Pachucka. Matt Venturini and Carl Christiansen. WP - Compton. LP - Venturini. HR - Landeros (C), Bell (C), Freudenberg (K). 2B - Bell (C).
Chino - Richard Nino 0-2, Nicholas Alvaron 0-3, Javiar Landeros 1-4, Steven Melendiez 0-3, Javiar Esquivel 0-4, Jason Anaya 0-3, Robert Pachucka 3-4, Eric Bell 2-4, Manual Martinez 2-4.
RBI: Landeros 1, Bell 3, Martinez 1.
Kalispell - Stefan Malkuch 4-5, Dan Conners 0-4, Geoff Hogan 3-3, Nick Hergesheimer 0-4, Jake Fitzsimmons 0-4, Michael Crail 0-3, Ryan Grubb 0-1, Carl Christianson 0-3, Sam Freudenberg 2-4.
RBI: Malkuch 1, Hogan 2, Freudenberg 2.