EPHRATA - It took a little while for the Columbia Basin RiverDogs to exert itself as inhospitable hosts of this year's RiverDogs Baseball Invitational on Thursday.

Trailing early, the RiverDogs got their bats going after falling behind 4-0 early against Bellevue Legion at Johnson-O'Brien Stadium.

Yet, the RiverDogs (22-16) began to peck away at the deficit, tying at 4-4 after the bottom of the third inning and then finally breaking the game open with three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to capture a 7-4 win to kickstart their run toward an Invitational title.

"We didn't play very well those first couple of innings and we always seem to start off the game with an error," RiverDogs manager Randy Boruff said. "But we started to settle down and get things going eventually.

Davis Engel (Skagit Valley CC) started on the mound for the RiverDogs and struggled early but eventually he settled in and kept Bellevue's bats in check and allowed his offense enough time to get heated up and bring the team back.

"Davis had a good fastball and may have even touched 90 miles per hour a few times," Boruff said. "He would throw a breaking ball when he didn't need to and he got into trouble sometimes. He could have won the game with one pitch."

Engel went six innings before Alvarado recorded in the save in the seventh.

Stockton Taylor (Brewster HS) went 2-for-3 to lead the RiverDogs' offense while Engel hit a double and aided his cause with three RBI.

The RiverDogs scored twice in their half of the second inning when Jacob Yamane (Warden HS) got on base via a Bellevue error and Matt Noyola singled him home two batters later. Ricco Moreno (Big Bend CC/Moses Lake HS) then grounded out to bring home Seth Darling (Cle Elum HS) who reached on a fielder's choice earlier, that made the score 4-2 in favor of Bellevue.

The home team then tied things up in the next inning when Cameron Alvarado (Moses Lake HS) got on base with a bunt single and Chris Walker (Othello HS) walked.

Josh Snider (Ephrata HS) singled in Alvarado and then Yamane got on base again thanks to another Bellevue error and Walker came around to tie things up at 4-4.

After that, both teams buckled up and started to stem the tide of both team's offense before the RiverDogs came back up in the bottom of the sixth.

Yamane led things off with a single and advanced to second on a Tony Hernandez (Moses Lake HS) sacrifice bunt.

Othello High School's Amando DeLeon then walked and Matt Noyola (Moses Lake HS) hit a squibber that forced DeLeon out.

Moreno would walk to load the bases and that set up Engel's chance for heroics on both the mound and at the plate as he belted a bases-clearing double to put the RiverDogs up for good, 7-4.

"Davis may be our best player because he can play every position in the field, pitch and he can battle at the plate," Boruff said. "The reason why we pitch him in the first game of every tournament is so we can play him at second base the rest of the way. He is the energizer bunny of our team and makes plays other kids can't make."

The tournament continued this morning with a game against the Spokane Crew and will go on throughout the weekend.

"I will be honest and say i expect us to go 6-0," I expect to continue getting better and see us stopp making the little mistakes we have been making up until now. We are doing things correctly we just have some guys not in a grooeveat he plate but some guys are starting to do a good job at the plate. There are some positive things happeneing here.