Elks Get Robbed in Shocking Finish at Ridgefield
The Bend Elks fell to Ridgefield Raptors on a walk-off balk in the bottom of the eleventh inning. (Andrew Green)
Ridgefield, WA - The Bend Elks played their hearts out for 3 hrs and 34 min Tuesday night at Ridgefield Outer Sports Complex. The Elks struck out a season-high 14 batters, all while sparing with the Raptors offensively, delivering a counter punch to every jab they threw. It was an 11-inning slugfest, but when the game came down to the defining moment, the Elks had their souls snatched.
With two outs and a runner on third in the bottom of the eleventh inning, Brynner Waiolama came set, paused for two full seconds, and delivered a beeline strike, ultimately to find out that the umpire had assessed a balk to him, allowing Jackson Nicklaus to score freely from third giving the raptors the 2-1 "balk-off" win.
Shock, confusion, heartbreak, anger. All these emotions and more are what the Elks were experiencing following the conclusion of an exhilarating baseball game.
The Elks trailed through the majority of the game, failing to cash in on several opportunities with runners in scoring position. But that didn't deter them. They kept fighting. Bend finally broke through in the eighth with three straight base hits by Beau Sylvester, Ruben Cedillo, and Ethan Thomas to open the frame. This string of hits helped set up Zach Toglia for a sac fly to center to score Sylvester and notch the game even at one run apiece.
Although Elks Pitchers had been performing great all night, after that run came across, they kicked into another gear. Jackson Elder worked out of a bases-loaded jamb in the eighth, Ethan Krupp struck out all three batters he faced in the ninth, and Waiolama came in with runners on first and second with one out in the 10th and managed to post a K along with a clutch back pick from his battery mate Sylvester to end the inning.
Electricity was in the air, and it didn't stop there. Before the game's devastating ending, the Elks grinded out the first two outs of the eleventh by Kody Watanabe coming down the third base line to gun out one of the most dangerous players in the WCL, Jake Tsukada, on a sac bunt. Maddox Malony then followed by making an extremely difficult play. Malony fielded a ground ball that beamed off the back of the mound, kept it on the infield, and still managed to make the cross-body through to first in time for the out and prevent the walk-off.
Ethan Thomas and Zach Toglia, who both have had slow starts to the summer, performed at their best when it mattered most. The duo recorded their first multi-hit games, with Thomas going three for five and Toglia going two for three with an RBI.
Kellan Oakes had a phenomenal start for the Elks, going 4.2 innings, allowing four hits and one earned run while striking out a season-high seven batters. The bullpen didn't miss a beat either, combining for seven strikeouts the rest of the way with just one hit and one run surrendered.
Bend (10-13, 7-12) will look to break its five-game losing skid while simultaneously ending Ridgefield's (16-7, 15-6) franchise record 11-game win streak Wednesday in the middle game at 6:35 p.m. at the Ridgefield Outdoor Recreation Complex.
