PNW 13-15 BABE RUTH REGIONALS-Inside The #'s

The Kelso Babe Ruth All-Stars were rarely troubled during a perfect 6-0 run through the Pacific N.W. Regional Championships at Astoria last week.

Kelso defeated Astoria 8-0 in the championship game Saturday completing an impressive 6-day display of fundamental baseball and remarkable depth.

While Kelso did not have a leader in any one offensive category at the tourney, the top seven in the batting order, players who started every game, batted a combined .363. Kelso's top two pitchers, lefty Nick LaRoy and righthander Brandon Middleton, allowed no earned runs over 19 innings pitched with 27 strikeouts and just six walks.

Astoria's top pitchers--Cody Strickland, Ian Dueber and Max Johnson--had their moments, but were by no means dominant. Strickland pitched very well in a 5-inning start and a 2-inning relief stint, but Kelso's tough contact hitting lineup connected for 13 hits off the Astoria righthander. Dueber logged 12 quality innings against Helena and Central Basin, but surrendered 16 hits and had an earned run average of 5.25. Johnson was lights out in a 2-inning relief stint against Central Basin in the quarterfinals, but that followed a day after a disastrous start in the pool finale against West Kootenay when he walked six batters and hit two more in an inning and a third.

Kelso was the most defensively stout team, committing only five errors in six games with two errorless games and only one game with two E's. Astoria was second defensively with a total of eight errors and one errorless game with two 2-error games, including the championship final. Not only did Kelso make the routine plays with precision and regularity, they had the most spectacular plays at the tournament as well.

While Kelso was practically faultless on the diamond defensively and suffered no noticeable dropoff when other players were rotated in or shifted to different positions, Astoria betrayed defensive vulnerabilities both in the infield and outfield, particularly over the final two days of the tournament.

While both championship teams played well defensively, they also put pressure on the defense. Astoria and Kelso were far and away the most aggressive teams on the bases with Astoria edging Kelso in steals with 38 to Kelso's 36. Both teams were caught stealing four times. Douglas, Wyoming finished third with 24 steals in four games played, none against Astoria.

Which brings us to catchers. Few teams dared steal against Kelso's cannon-armed Cody O'Neill and Astoria's Dane Lund. Opposing teams attempted only eight stolen bases against Astoria and were caught four times. O'Neil nailed three of six basestealers. It certainly didn't hurt that both Kelso and Astoria, as the visiting teams 10 out of 12 times, often had early leads. Kelso batted first in all six of its games, choosing to be the visiting team in the championship game after winning the coin toss. Kelso scored in the first inning in five of those games.

Astoria had the slight edge in hits 59-57 and had a decided edge in power numbers (18-9 in extra base hits and five home runs to Kelso's two) in the tournament. Kelso had to contend with a more rugged division, with the traditionally strong Washington and Oregon teams combined with 3-time regional qualifier Lewiston, Idaho.

So, in the end, a more balanced, deeper, fundamentally sound Kelso squad with higher-caliber top of the rotation pitching won out over an Astoria team that could claim to be the better offensive club, but held no other discernable advantage.

Here is a list of the individual statistical leaders for the tournament, and The Last Dam Regional All-Tournament team selections.

PNW REGIONAL TOURNAMENT-Statistical Leaders

BATTING
AVG: Ken Forrester (CA) .714, Dylan Klava (DO) .545, Eric Bouma (WK) .533
HITS: Dane Lund (AS) 12, Forrester 10, Max Johnson (AS) 10,
RUNS: Johnson 11, Lund 9, Lane Sari (KE) 8, Marcus Brown (AS) 8
RBI: Johnson 11, Klava 8, Cody Strickland (AS) 8, Lund 7, Brown 7,
HR: Johnson 2, Klava 2, 9 tied with 1
3B: Lund, Chase Fick (KE), Shay Dearing (KE), Kyle Conway (HE)
2B: Strickland 3, 5 tied with 2
SB: Johnson 8, Brown 8, Marc Gallegos (AS) 8, Lund 7, 4 tied with 6
HIT-GAMES: Lund 6, Ian Erickson (AS) 6, Dylan Slunaker 6, 6 tied with 5

PITCHING
WINS: 6 tied with 2
ERA: Nick LaRoy (KE) 0.00 (11ip), Brandon Middleton (KE) 0.00 (8ip)
K: LaRoy 21, Louie Lopez (HE) 15, Dillon Gardner (JC) 14, Mason Lotz (CB) 14

2007 PNW Regional All-Tournament Team (selected by The Last Dam Editorial Staff-aka Matt Richert)

FIRST TEAM
MVP: Nick LaRoy (Kelso)
P: Brandon Middleton (Kelso), Cody Strickland (Astoria), Dillon Gardner (Josephine Cty)
IF: Robbie Neal (Kelso), Ian Erickson (Astoria), Ken Forrester (Calgary), Eric Bouma (W. Kootenay)
OF: Max Johnson (Astoria), Parker Rodgers (Kelso), Dylan Klava (Douglas), Kyle Conway (Helena)
C: Dane Lund (Astoria), Cody O'Neill (Kelso)
UT: Nico Carbone (The Dalles), Brett Robinson (Central Basin), Jason McMinn (Lewiston)
HONORABLE MENTION
P: Blake Giles (Kelso), Ian Dueber (Astoria), Reid Ashley (Central Basin)
IF: Dylan Slunaker (Kelso), Marcus Brown (Astoria), Case Hinkins (Central Basin)
OF: Lane Sari (Kelso), Mason Lotz (Central Basin), Kyle Knigge (Lewiston)
C: Brady Glover (W. Kootenay), Ryan Schrader (Josephine County)
UT: Tim Fosmo (Douglas), Louie Lopez (Helena)