By JOHN McCALLUM
Editor
Despite going 2-2 in last week's games the Cheney baseball team still finds itself in the hunt for a top spot in the coming Great Northern League playoffs. They may have to settle for missing a third straight league championship, but for Blackhawks manager Randy Elam, achieving that goal isn't the only reason they play the games.
“If we don't finish at the top, big deal,” he said. “It's not that important. We'll get into the playoffs, these are just practice games, but the cool thing is, we control our own destiny.”
Cheney lost a heartbreaker last Tuesday to a hot Pullman team riding a six-game winning streak they eventually stretched to nine with a doubleheader sweep of Clarkston over the weekend. Cheney took a 5-2 lead into the bottom of the seventh inning, but were hampered by errors that enabled the Greyhounds to score four runs for the 6-5 win.
Dakota Torkelson took the loss in relief of Cameron Lowe, who pitched four innings. Offensively Cheney got singles from Lowe (2) and Parker Franklin (2), one by Torkelson and a double by Josh Maio.
Cheney concluded the week finishing an extra-inning game with West Valley that started on March 24 but was called on account of darkness, and then wrapped up the season series with the Eagles by splitting a doubleheader in Cheney.
In the March game the Blackhawks scored three runs in the top of the ninth to take a 10-7 lead, but the teams couldn't finish West Valley's at bat. Saturday they resumed the game, in Cheney with the Blackhawks hanging on for the win. Franklin got the win for Cheney, while three singles from Drew Henry, a single and triple by Lowe, a single and double by Jeremy Alderman, a single from Torkelson and home run from Crooks fueled the Hawks' offense.
In the first game of the doubleheader Cheney overcame a 3-2 deficit with six runs in the bottom of the third inning, adding four more in the fifth for the 12-4 win. In the third Crooks' RBI single scoring Lowe tied the game and the Blackhawks took the lead later on Maio's 2RBI double to right that a strong wind made difficult for West Valley's right fielder to handle. Cheney added runs on an RBI single by Franklin and 2RBI single from Henry.
In the fourth Lowe smacked a two-out, bases-loaded single scoring Maio and Alderman. Franklin scored from third on a throw by the Eagles catcher trying to catch Lowe stealing second, and Lowe came home on Torkelson's single to left.
Lowe got the win, giving up four runs, three unearned, on two hits while walking two and striking out eight over six innings. Jacob Overhoff went 1-2-3 in the seventh, catching a hard line drive hit at him and doubling up the runner at first.
Franklin (single, double), Lowe and Henry each had two hits while Torkelson, Crooks, Cody Ableman and Alderman each had singles.
In the nightcap the Blackhawks tied the game at 2 on RBI singles by Lowe and Crooks. West Valley regained the lead in the fifth; using a pair of doubles and a Cheney error to score three runs off starter Alderman. Cheney got one back in the sixth on a two-out double to center by Torkelson and RBI single to left by Crooks, but got no closer.
Despite the split the Blackhawks remain in good shape in their playoff run. Cheney is two games back of Pullman in the loss column and a half game ahead of third-place Clarkston. The Blackhawks had a key showdown at home on Tuesday, April 19, with the Bantams, who swept Cheney in a doubleheader March 26.
If the Blackhawks win their final four games (next up is East Valley April 26) they can likely assure themselves of the No. 2 playoff spot and the accompanying bye and second-round home game. Elam feels his team has a great shot to do that.
Cheney's biggest hurdle may be the fact that they are a pretty young team when it comes to big game experience, worrying about others and pressing too hard at times to live up to previous expectations.
“Everybody has a job,” Elam said. “If everybody does their job, we have people behind us, to the left, the right that are going to pick you up. They work hard. They're great kids.”
John McCallum can be reached at jmac@cheneyfreepress.com.
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