Cougars off to state
CALEB PEREZ | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 11 months, 2 weeks AGO
The Warden Cougars gathered after the game was canceled Saturday due to weather conditions. The team now heads toward its postseason push.
MIKE MAYNARD/COLUMBIA BASIN HERALD
Warden senior Malakai Valdez prepares to make a catch at first base. The last time the Cougars made the state tournament the seniors on the team were freshmen.
Anthony Gutierrez readies himself to make a hit during Saturday’s game, which had to be cancelled after one and a half innings due to the downpour of rain.
Michael Gonzalez is up to bat with Anthony Gutierrez preparing for his swing in the background during Saturday’s game against Riverview.
Warden's TJ Visker pitches on the mound during Saturday’s game. Coach Travis Visker said the mud on the field had begun to cake on the cleats of players and made the conditions on the field unsafe for play.
WARDEN — The Warden Cougars baseball team’s game against River View on Saturday was canceled due to the heavy rainfall. Both teams are now headed to the state tournament this Saturday. The Cougars are 12-13 for the season, while Riverview is 18-8.
“They’re excited,” said Cougars head coach Travis Visker. “We missed state by one game the past two seasons so there’s a lot of first-time players getting to go participate in state for the first time. I think the last time we made it our seniors were freshmen at the time.”
Saturday’s game was meant to determine tournament seeding for the two teams as they were both already guaranteed to make it into the state tournament. As the rain fell, officials and coaches determined it would be a hazard to continue play and opted to cancel the game. There will be no make-up game.
“As soon as the game started, the rain started coming down and there was lightning, so they postponed it for thirty minutes,” said Visker. “Once the game resumed it just down poured. We made it an inning and a half and called the game.”
The Cougars are entering the 2B state tournament as a 15 seed, placing them against the number two seeded Freeman High School, 20-2. These teams had a previous matchup in Ephrata to start this season that resulted in a Freeman victory.
With weather conditions looking rainy again this week, the Cougars are opting to spend a good chunk of time planning out their strategies for the tournament. Visker said the team will put a focus on batting early in the week as they wait out the weather.
“The main thing is to just focus and do what we have been training to do all year,” he said. “Tighten up our defense, put the bat on the ball and make smart decisions come game time.”
Visker said he and his team are confident as they head into the state tournament and are looking to continue battling for the title of state champions.
“Once we know that we can make the top 16, anything can happen,” said the coach. “The team who gets hot at the end and can rattle off four wins will be the state champ and in baseball any team can (win) on any given day.”
The Cougars will be playing against Freeman High School at Lewis and Clark High School’s Hart Field this Saturday, starting at 10 a.m.
Box score
RVVW: 4-2-x-x-x-x-x 6
WRDN: 5-x-x-x-x-x-x 5
Game was canceled in the second inning due to rain and final score was not counted toward either team. River View will go into the tournament as the 12 seed, with Warden as the 15.
Warden senior Malakai Valdez prepares to make a catch at first base. The last time the Cougars made the state tournament the seniors on the team were freshmen.
Anthony Gutierrez readies himself to make a hit during Saturday’s game, which had to be cancelled after one and a half innings due to the downpour of rain.
Michael Gonzalez is up to bat with Anthony Gutierrez preparing for his swing in the background during Saturday’s game against Riverview.
Warden's TJ Visker pitches on the mound during Saturday’s game. Coach Travis Visker said the mud on the field had begun to cake on the cleats of players and made the conditions on the field unsafe for play.ARTICLES BY CALEB PEREZ
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