RSSAll-state baseball series -- EV's Komstadius, G'dale's Dohrman shine in first game
Yakima Herald-Republic
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YAKIMA -- Even with all the times he's done it at Parker Field, hitting balls over the right field fence never gets old for Kevin Komstadius.
Especially when he's just battling to make contact.
Winning a tricky lefty-on-lefty battle and "one of the nastiest curveballs" he's seen, the East Valley senior didn't miss the one he liked and drove it into the Yakima Valley Community College parking lot in the first inning of Saturday's opening game of the All-State Baseball Series.
"I think it went curveball, fastball, curveball to start and that curve was just nasty," Komstadius said of the initial offerings from Eastside Catholic's TJ Parthemer. "Then I got a change-up and I got a little metal on that one."
Komstadius added a double in the fourth inning and finished with three RBI, and EV teammate Kevin Elkins scored a go-ahead run in the seventh as their Athletics team -- leading 9-6 heading into the final frame -- appeared poised to make today's championship game.
But those hopes unraveled in the top of the eighth when the Braves sent 10 batters to the plate and rallied with a seven-run outburst for a 13-9 victory. It was a rough game for pitchers with a collective 22 runs, 23 hits, 11 walks and three hit batters.
"Fifteen and eight -- that's a lot of hits," noted Komstadius, looking at the hit totals on the scoreboard. "I figured with all these great players there would be hits but not that many."
Komstadius' RBI double in the fourth came at the expense of Goldendale's Nick Dohrman, but that's about the only thing the SCAC West player of the year did wrong. Dohrman pitched the third and fourth and struck out four, allowed one run and left with a 5-4 lead.
"I was definitely happy with that. I figured I'd get a couple innings somewhere, and it was fun to get out there and face the best of the best," said Dohrman, who's headed to Wenatchee Valley Community College. "The only thing I gave up was to Komo and there's no shame in that. I mean, the guy's Division I and he's drafted."
On Friday, Komstadius was selected in the 29th round of the Major League draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates. Had he gone higher as his two primary pursuers -- the Pirates and Orioles -- suggested he might, the University of Washington would've likely lost their recruit.
"I'm excited because it's like a weight being lifted off me," he said. "If things had fallen right, I definitely would've signed and gone (pro) because I really want that chance. It didn't go that way, but I still have the summer and the UW ahead of me."
The Pirates will still make Komstadius on offer in the coming days and he still may sign. But in the 29th round the package isn't expected to be tempting enough to forego his college scholarship.
"We're not expecting it, but who knows?," he said. "I'm still excited about playing another summer here (with the Yakima Pepsi Beetles) and about college ball. In three years, I'll get another shot (in the draft)."
Komstadius' first-inning blast was the only ball to leave the yard but it wasn't the only home run.
Peninsula's Jake Hohbein gave the Athletics a 6-5 lead in the fifth inning with a rare inside-the-park, two-run homer. His line-drive shot into the right-center gap took a sharp left-turn carom off the base of the wall and Hohbein had the speed to make the round trip.
The A's extended the margin to 9-6 with three runs in the bottom of the seventh, thanks in large part to a two-out, two-run double by JR Jarrell of Brewster.
Were it a seven-inning game the A's would've had themselves a nice come-from-behind victory.
But All-State games go eight full frames, and the Braves enjoyed a breakout finish that started innocently enough with a strikeout. But the next eight batters reached base and seven of them scored. Heritage's Michael Blake delivered the go-ahead run with a two-run triple and he finished 3-for-4.
Battle Ground's Tracy Chelini retired the A's in order in the bottom of the eighth and picked up the win, and he was 2-for-4 with a double, triple and three RBI.
Davis' Evan Morris and Elkins split time at first base for the A's, who got four strong innings from Eastmont's Seth Haehl. On his way to the UW with Komstadius, Haehl struck out six and held the Braves to one run.
Komstadius will be unable to play in today's game, but Morris and Elkins will participate for the A's in the 10:25 a.m. consolation game. Dohrman will join the Braves in the title game at 1:35 p.m.
Braves 401 000 17 -- 13 15 1
Athletics 210 120 30 -- 9 8 5
TJ Parthemer, Nick Dohrman (3), Ian Miller (5), Tracy Chelini (7) and Cody Wilson, Sean Simpson (3); Matt Burrows, Ethan Hargraves (1), Seth Haehl (4), Cody Ryckman (8) and Ryckman, Kevin Whitehead (3).
Highlights -- Braves: Colby Sokol (Emerald Ridge) 3-5, 2b, RBI, 4 runs; Michael Blake (Heritage) 3-4, 3b, 2 RBI; Tracy Chelini (Battle Ground) 2-4, 2b, 3b, 3 RBI, 2 runs, 2 IP; Tyler Cherin (West Seattle) 3-4, 2 2b, 2 RBI; Nick Dohrman (Goldendale) 2 IP, 4 K. Athletics: Kevin Komstadius (East Valley-Yakima) 2-5, 2b, HR, 3 RBI; Tim Wilson (Redmond) 2 runs; Jake Hohbein (Peninsula) 1-2, HR, 2 RBI; Colton Bielaski (Bellevue) 1-1, 2b, run; JR Jarrell (Brewster) 1-2, 2b, 2 RBI; Seth Haehl (Eastmont) 4 IP, 6 K, 1 ER.
