W.F. West tops ATM
 
Bearcats escape with 7-6 win on heads-up game-ending play

TOURNEYTOWN.COM

A heads-up defensive play gave W.F. West a berth in the Class 2A baseball championship game.

After watching their 7-2 lead shrink on back-to-back two-run doubles, the Bearcats pulled out a 7-6 victory Friday when Erik Forgione caught a napping baserunner off the bag for the final out against Archbishop Murphy at Yakima County Stadium.

ATM's Chris Peterson started the seventh-inning scoring with a two-out, two-run ground-rule double down the right-field line off W.F. West starter and winning pitcher Robert Pehl.

Jacob Oster followed with a two-run double to left center that pulled ATM within a run. However, Forgione fielded the outfield throw and came up behind Oster at second. When Oster briefly stepped off the bad, Forgione tagged the runner for the out, ending the game.

Pehl, who allowed two runs through the first six innings, struck out four and walked four. He got out of potential jams in the fourth with a bases-loaded double play and got a strikeout with the bases loaded in the fifth to end another threat.

Offensively, Pehl was 2-for-4 with two RBI. Brennan Casteel also finished 2-for-4 with a two-run single in the fifth, and Forgione was 2-for-4 with a triple.

Keanen Albright was 2-for-4 for ATM. 

ATM seventh: Kegley grounds out to short; Varriano walks; Albright singles to left; Kane grounds to short, Varriano forced at third; Hines walks; Peterson 2RBI ground-rule double to right; Oster two-run double to left-center, Oster tagged out by shortstop at second after taking step off bag. Four runs, three hits, no errors, no runners left on base.

W.F. West seventh: McCarty grounds out to second; Gueller grounds out to short; Casteel strikes out looking. No runs, no hits, no errors, no runners left on base.

ATM sixth: Oster lines out to center; Huggings grounds out to second; pinch-hitter Waldron grounds out to short. No runs, no hits, no errors, no runners left on base.

W.F. West sixth: Forgione singles to center; Forgione caught stealing at second; Schoelkopf flies out to left; Pehl grounds out to second. No runs, one hit, no errors, no runners left on base.

ATM fifth: Kegley hit by pitch; Varriano grounds into fielder's choice at short, Kegley forced at second; Albright singles to left; Kane flies out to center; Hines walks; Peterson strikes out. No runs, one hit, no errors, three runners left on base. 

W.F. West fifth: Schoelkopf reaches on throwing error by shortstop; Schoelkopf takes second on wild pitch, takes third on another wild pitch; Pehl RBI single to right; McCarty flies out to left; Gueller singles to righ, Pehl advances to third; Gueller steals second; Casteel two-run single to center, advances to second on fielding error by catcher; MaVorhis replaces Kane on mound; Kahn grounds out to second, Castell advances to third; Wilson walks; Boucher flies out to left. Three runs, three hits, two errors, two runners left on base.        

ATM fourth: Hines grounds out to short; Peterson singles to right; Oster walks; Huggins bunt single to third; Huesers grounds into 6-3 double play. No runs, two hits, no errors, two runners left on base.

W.F. West fourth: Kahn strikes out; Wilson grounds out to third; Boucher infield single to third; Forgione grounds to short, Boucher forced out at second. No runs, one hit, no errors, one runner left on base.

ATM third: Huesers triples to right; Kegley RBI groundout to second; Varriano grounds out to short; Albright grounds to second, safe on fielding error; Kane strikes out. One run, one hit, one error, one runner left on base. 

W.F. West third: Forgione triples to center; Schoelkopf infield single to third; Pehl grounds into 6-4 fielder's choice, scoring Forgione; McCarty singles to right, Pehl to third; Pehl scores, McCarty to second on wild pitch; Gueller grounds out to second, McCarty advances to third; Casteel grounds out to short. Two runs, three hits, no errors, one runner left on base. 

ATM second: Peterson grounds out to third; Oster grounds out to short; Huggins grounds out to pitcher. No runs, no hits, no errors, no runners left on base.

W.F. West second: Casteel doubles to right; Kahn singles to center, Casteel to third; Wilson grounds into 6-4-3 double play, Casteel scores; Boucher grounds out to third. One run, two hits, no errors, no runners left on base. 

ATM first: Varriano strikes out looking; Albright strikes out; Kane infield single to shortstop; Hines RBI double to right, thrown out at third. One run, two hits, no errors, no runners left on base. 

W.F. West first: Forgione lines out to right; Schoelkopf pops out to short; Pehl doubles to left; McCarty RBI single to left, advances to second on throw to plate; Gueller grounds out to pitcher. One run, two hits, no errors, one runner left on base.

Starting lineups
   W.F. West -- Forgione, ss; Schoelkopf, c; Pehl, p; McCarty, lf; Gueller, cf; Casteel, 3b; Kahn, 2b; Wilson, cf; Boucher, 1b.
   ATM -- Varriano, 3b; Albright, lf; Kane, p; Hines, 1b; Peterson, c; Oster, ss; Huggins, 2b; Huesers, rf; Kegley, cf.