"Kennewick team enjoys tourney win" -- July 13, 2006

BY CALEB BREAKEY
THE OLYMPIAN


Kennewick American was out of its league.

The all-star baseball team rushed the field after clobbering Kelso 17-8 Sunday at the 10-year-old Southern Washington Cal Ripken State Baseball Championships at Bucknell Park in Lacey.

"They all ran to the mound and mobbed the pitcher," said Doug Barton, director of the Southern Washington Cal Ripken State Baseball Championships. "It looked like they had just won the World Series in Major League Baseball."

Kennewick American advances to the regional tournament in Ellensburg, where teams will battle to qualify for the Cal Ripken World Series.

Only one team moves on from the regional tournament, but Barton likes Kennewick American's odds.

"They're very deep pitching-wise, they're the best coached team I've ever seen, they're very disciplined, they run bases well, (and) they hit the ball," Barton said. "They're going to have a good chance."

Kelso battled through a nine-inning game against Western Longview and won 5-4 in what Barton described as "the game of the tournament," shortly before taking on Kennewick
American in the final game.

Tournament games were scheduled to be six innings, so Kelso had to fight off the fatigue of three extra innings before going into the championship game, Barton said.