NACHES -- Finding the difference between this year's Naches Valley baseball team and last year's state-runner-up version wasn't easy against River View.

There's still plenty of patience at the plate and starter Lucas Forgey's whiff-inducing pitching hide the usual tough defense Tuesday at Ranger Field. All these things helped NV cruise to a 16-4, five-inning victory in the first round of the SCAC district tournament.

The sixth-ranked Rangers rode these talents to the
1A championship game a year ago, coming within one out of the title before falling 4-2 to Chimacum. But this year's team doesn't have one thing it had a plethora of last year, senior leadership, with only three seniors compared to five all-league players in the class of 2007.

"They saw our seniors and the intensity they played with," NV coach Bill Walker said. "This group knows what we expect and knows the level they have to reach and how to keep it there."

Forgey set the tone, striking out the first three Panthers he faced on his way to eight for the game. He followed with his bat in the bottom of the first, blasting a first-pitch fastball over the center-field fence 350 feet away.

The two-run shot was part of an eight-run Ranger spree in the first inning. They chased RV starter Dennin Harding after only 32 pitches, and things didn't get better for the next four pitchers. The group of five combined for eight walks and two hit batters, and the defense didn't help things with seven errors.

Fourteen NV batters in the first inning took a little momentum from Forgey, who allowed two singles before an Adam Dickinson home run cleared the bases for the Panthers. He never panicked with the lead still a commanding 8-3 and struck out the last two batters to end the frame.

"My fastball and my curveball were working good," said Forgey, who often used the later to set up the former. "My curveball really was keeping them off balance."

So out of sorts was River View that Forgey needed only 79 pitches to complete the outing. Positive news with Kiona-Benton -- 8-2 winners against Highland on Tuesday -- waiting in the second round at 4 p.m. this Friday at Ranger Field. NV didn't play the Bears during the regular season, and a win would secure the team's fifth straight trip to state.

Walker wasn't too concerned about pitching depth, starting Forgey against a River View team (13-8 overall) which was a state-ranked team earlier this season. The Panthers handed NV (17-2-1) one of its losses in a non-league doubleheader April 4, but the Rangers rallied to win the next game 14-8.

Since then, the Rangers have rolled off 12 straight wins, including Tuesday's latest victory. A trend they don't foresee halting with the bats pounding out 12 hits and six different players knocking in runs against RV.

"We're all just good hitters," said NV shortstop Thomas Wilcox, who went 2-for-2 with a double, two RBI and two runs scored. "We work hard in the cage and everyone, one through nine, we're all hitters."

River View 030 01 -- 4 5 7

Naches Valley 810 7x -- 16 12 1

Harding, Hoch (1), Greenwalt (4), Gier (4) and Wilson; Forgey and Gillespie.

Highlights: Ethan Flory (NV) 3 R, SB; Jake Evans (NV) 3 RBI, R; Thomas Wilcox (NV) 2-2, 2b, 2 RBI, 2 R; Nate Haile (NV) 2 RBI, R; Lucas Forgey (NV) 8 K, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R; Adam Ranger (NV) 3-3, 2 R; Jake Stiles (NV) RBI, R; Brandon Gillespie 2 R; Joe Mills (NV) 2 R, 2 RBI; Adam Dickinson (RV) HR, 3 RBI.