Needing two wins in the District 5/6 2B playoffs to make their seventh consecutive appearance at the state tournament, the Liberty Bell High School baseball team got them both at Rec Park in Wenatchee last Saturday (May 11).
The Mountain Lions started the day with a 6-0 win over Walla Walla Valley Academy, which allowed them to advance in the loser-out tourney, then followed with a nail-biter 5-4 win over DeSales in the afternoon.
Next up for Liberty Bell in the first round of the state 2B tournament on Saturday (May 18): perennial powerhouse Tri-Cities Prep at Davis High School in Yakima. The game starts at 1 p.m. If the Mountain Lions win, they’ll face the winner of a game between Asotin and Columbia (Burbank) at 4 p.m. Two wins would advance Liberty Bell to the state finals in Centralia on May 24-25.
Liberty Bell 6, Walla Walla Valley Academy 0
“This was a good ball game from start to finish,” Liberty Bell coach David Aspholm said. “We had no errors, and gave up only two walks and two hits.”
Senior starter Peter Aspholm threw five innings of no-hit ball on only 65 pitches and struck out 12. Freshman David Kominak finished the final two innings, allowing Walla Walla Academy’s only hits but preserving the shutout.
“Both pitchers attacked the zone early and stayed on top of the Walla Walla lineup,” coach Aspholm said.
At the plate, Peter Aspholm and Shay Crandall each collected two hits, and Dusty Patterson, Sam Neitlich and Noah Holston had one hit apiece.
Given their strong pitching, the Mountain Lions essentially settled things in the first inning when they scored three runs. Patterson and Cole Rhoades both walked, and Peter Aspholm singled to center to load the bases. Crandall’s single to right drove in two runs. Holston’s sharply hit grounder to the right side left Walla Walla Academy with only one play — to first base — and Peter Aspholm scored on the fielder’s choice.
In the bottom of the fifth, coach Aspholm put on the squeeze play with Peter Aspholm at third. Neitlich laid down a perfect bunt, scoring Aspholm from third and reaching first base safely.
Liberty Bell — playing as the home team — added two insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth. With Patterson on third and Rhoades on second, Peter Aspholm hit a routine fly just out of the infield on the right side. “The umpires incorrectly called the infield fly rule but Dusty remained focused and saw that there was some confusion by the second baseman who had caught the ball,” coach Aspholm said. “He [Patterson] tagged up at third and then crept closer to home with no one paying attention to him. He then broke for home and scored easily, knowing that the ball was still live. It was a real heads-up play and the type that we need to continue to make as we move toward games this weekend.”
Liberty Bell 5, DeSales 4
In the second game, Liberty Bell spotted DeSales — another annual favorite at the 2B tournament — an early lead that traded hands before two sixth-inning runs put the Mountain Lions ahead for good. Last year, Liberty Bell and DeSales also faced off, with the Mountain Lions taking that game 9-2.
“This year’s game was much tighter and the boys played in one of the more exciting back-and-forth games of the year,” coach Aspholm said. “It starts with pitching again. Shay Crandall threw the first four innings and really showed a lot of poise and maturity on the mound.”
A pitcher’s best friend is the first-pitch strike, and Crandall threw 15 of them. “The game is much easier when you are constantly ahead of the hitters,” Aspholm said.
After DeSales scored in the first inning, Liberty Bell — this time playing as the visiting team — evened it up with a run in the top of the second. Neitlich walked and advanced on a passed ball, then scored from second on a single by Holston — who was thrown out trying to stretch it into a double.
In the top of the fourth, Crandall led off with a single, Sam Neitlich walked and Quinn Wengerd got on board after a ball was misplayed by DeSales to load the bases. Eli Neitlich’s two-out single scored Crandall. In the fifth, Liberty Bell took a 3-1 lead. Rhoades drew a walk, followed by a Peter Aspholm single. Holston delivered a two-out hit, just fair over third base, to score Rhoades.
In the DeSales half of the fifth, Crandall’s control faltered as he hit one batter, walked another and gave up a hit, compounded by a Liberty Bell error.
“This typically how the ‘wheels come off’ in a game but our team pulled together and it was great to see,” the coach said. “Peter Aspholm came in with the bases loaded and no outs and on a two-strike pitch hit the first batter to make the score 3-3. We got an out, then there was another error and the score changed to DeSales favor, 4-3. Peter struck out one more before getting a ground-out to second and we were out of a potentially disastrous inning.”
The Mountain Lions, now trailing, responded in the top of the sixth. Kominak walked, followed by an Eli Neitlich single to left. One wild pitch later, they were on second and third with no outs. Patterson’s game-winning single to left scored them both.
Peter Aspholm finished the game with a flourish, striking out the final six DeSales batters. On the day, he tallied 20 strikeouts, gave up no hits and had only one walk.
“All the coaches were very happy with the way the team showed a lot of grit and determination and played mostly error-free ball,” coach Aspholm said.
All three top seeds from the CW-2B league — first-place Brewster, second-place Tonasket and third-place Liberty Bell — are in the state tournament. Liberty Bell’s season record now stands at 12-9.
Liberty Bell 6, Walla Walla Valley Academy 0
WW 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 R0 H2 E0
LB 3 0 0 0 1 2 x R6 H7 E0
Liberty Bell 5, DeSales 4
LB 0 1 0 1 1 2 0 R5 H9 E3
DS 1 0 0 0 3 0 0 R4 H2 E3
