YAKIMA -- Kevin Komstadius is better known for getting it done with his bat, but showed again Sunday that he can have just as big of an impact on the mound.
Gibby Briones has shown he can consistently get it done at the plate or in the field.
Together, those two helped spark a strong all-around effort Sunday as the surging Yakima Pepsi Beetles capped an unbeaten run through their Firecracker Tournament.
Komstadius and Briones combined for four hits,
three runs and three RBI,
Komstadius threw five strong innings, and Briones, the tournament MVP, sealed the victory by throwing out a runner at the plate as Yakima topped the Arlington River Dogs 8-4 at Parker Field.
"We wanted this one. This is our tournament and we wanted to let everyone know that we're a good team," said the University of Washington-bound Komstadius
after Yakima captured its 10th straight win.
Things didn't end as well for the Yakima Valley Pepsi Pak, which committed seven errors, including one in the seventh that allowed Anderson Hay to score the tiebreaking run, in a wild 9-8 victory for third and fourth place.
YAKIMA 8, ARLINGTON 4: The Beetles, playing as the visitors, jumped to a quick 3-0 first-inning lead, and Komstadius took over from there, throwing no-hit ball for the first 31/3 innings, just two hits through four innings and three runs in five solid frames.
"In the bullpen, he was hitting his spots and he carried that over to the mound," Yakima coach Mike Bailey said. "He really kept the Arlington batters off balance."
"I hadn't pitched in a while, but I felt good and was able to hit my spots," said Komstadius, who limited the top five hitters in the Arlington lineup to a 2-for-12 effort. "We got a few runs early, and pitching with the lead is all you can ask for. It makes it a little easier to throw strikes."
Especially when half of those runs come in the first two innings and all eight before Arlington can get on the board once.
"We've been capable of having everyone hitting, but we struggled at the beginning of the season," said Briones. "Once a couple of the returners stepped up and started to hit, everyone else started to get some confidence, and now we're starting to put it together."
Yakima capped a strong offensive tournament with Sunday's 12-hit attack in which five players had two hits, and Junior Chavez belted a second-inning solo homer.
In all, the Beetles scored 39 runs in five games, and didn't score fewer than six in any one game, despite the fact that the Firecracker switched from aluminum to wood bats for the first time.
"We all hit well (in the tournament), especially with the wood bats. I like the way we're swinging and playing," Komstadius said after Yakima pushed its record to 24-18.
ANDERSON HAY 9, YAKIMA VALLEY 8: Unlike Yakima's error-free effort Sunday, the Pak were uncharacteristically sloppy in their loss, committing four errors in Anderson Hay's seven-run fifth, and then another decisive one in the seventh.
"That wasn't real typical of our baseball team," Pak coach Mike Archer said. "We've played well all season. Hopefully, this is just one game and we'll get it out of our system and move on."
In a see-saw game, Yakima Valley (25-10) built an early 5-1 lead before Anderson Hay's seven spot. The Pak then tied it on Cory Urquhart's three-run triple in the bottom of the sixth.
With two outs in the seventh, Anderson Hay's Tyler Morris was hit by a pitch and then took second on a delayed steal when both the Pak shortstop and second baseman were late breaking to cover the bag. Steven Stein then hit a clean single to right, and Morris scored easily when the right fielder overran the ball.
SUNDAY'S LINESCORES
Yakima 8, Arlington 4
Yakima 310 130 0 -- 8 12 0
Arlington 000 030 1 -- 4 8 1
Komstadius, Wall (6) and Kline; Phillips, J. Pulintano (5), Morris (5) and Hawk.
Highlights: Gibby Briones (Y) 2-4, run, RBI; Tyler Berman (Y) 2-2, 2b, 2 runs; Kevin Komstadius (Y) 2-4, 2 runs, RBI; Seth Kline (Y) 2-3, run, 2 RBI; Trent Sikes (Y) 2-4, run, 2 RBI; Junior Chavez (Y) 1-3, HR.
Anderson Hay 9, Yakima Valley 8
Anderson Hay 001 070 1 -- 9 10 4
Yakima Valley 410 003 0 -- 8 11 7
Fengel, Stanavich (6) and Morris; Hood, Eaton (5) and Snider.
Highlights: Cory Urquhart (YV) 2-3, 3-run 3b, 2 runs; Dustin Daniels (YV) 2-run 2b; Cody Edwards (YV) run; John Plugoff RBI.
SUNDAY'S SCORES
At Davis Field
9th-10th place: Yakima Alumni 11, Graham-Kapowsin 5
7th-8th: Del Norte (Calif.) 3, Tacoma RBI 2
At Parker Field
5th-6th: Fraser Valley 9, Bellevue Honda 5
3rd-4th: Anderson Hay 9, Yakima Valley 5
Championship: Yakima 8, Arlington 4
ALL-STARS
Most valuable player: Gibby Briones, Yakima
Most valuable pitcher: Tyler Doornink, Yakima
All-star team: Tyler Berman, Yakima; Kevin Komstadius, Yakima; John Plugoff, Yakima Valley; Jake Fife, Yakima Valley; Ethan Sterkel, Anderson Hay; Matt Herbert, Anderson Hay; Frankie Nelson, Arlington; Chandler Tracy, Arlington; Mike Gange, Arlington; Nate Mullins, Arlington; Carney Chamberlin, Fraser Valley.
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