photo by Rich Dworkis
Bellevue College baseball’s magical run came to an end at 2:00 in the morning as Everett defeated Bellevue in the NWAACC Championship semi-final game by a score of 10-5 which started on Sunday May 26 at 11:00 pm and ended on Monday May 27 at 2:00 am due to various rain delays ongoing throughout the day. In the tourney, Bellevue lost the opening round game 4-3 to Yakima Valley on Friday May 24. Although the Bulldogs collected 15 hits (as compared to six by Yakima), the majority were with two outs which produce minimal run production. Yakima converted leadoff free passes (two walks and a hit batter) on three separate occasions into runs to turn the lopsided hit affair into a win for Yakima Valley. The Bulldogs bounced back with an 11-2 win over Linn-Benton on Saturday May 25. Nick Kiel carried a shutout into the ninth inning to lead Bellevue along with catcher Ryan Malone and center fielder Max Brown who each had three hits in the game. On Sunday May 26, Bellevue topped Mount Hood 7-2 behind the eight-strikeout performance by Alex Hatch, who carried a one-hitter through the first six innings. Injured for the first half of the season, Hatch came on late with two big wins in the post season and ended the year as one of the Bulldogs’ top hurlers. Aaron Stroosma had three hits to lead the offense. It was Stroosma’s second three-hit performance of the tourney. The win over Mt. Hood would be the final win of the season before losing to Everett later that evening.
This spring was a season of highs and lows for the youthful Bulldog squad, which featured only eight sophomores and 21 freshmen. The team was ranked number one in the pre-season poll then fell on hard times, losing nine players for the season due mostly to injuries. The ‘dogs then went on a skid, falling to .500 overall and a 6-10 league record and in a tie for fifth place in league, with only four qualifying for the league playoffs. During this time, numerous players
photo by Rich Dworkis
made position changes due to the depleted roster. John Bodenhamer, an outfielder, was converted into a first baseman and pitcher while pitcher Aaron Sandefur was converted into a third baseman. Shortstop Ryan Malone had to become Bellevue’s one and only catcher after three catchers were lost for the season. Infielder Trai Patrick was shifted to the outfield after left fielder Kurt Lindemann was lost for the year with a broken hand. The role changes were accepted as the numbers on paper showed improvement. The team batting average rose 40 points during league play and the pitching staff ended up leading the entire NWAACC in strikeouts which was an initial goal at the beginning of the season. The squad went on a torrid 14-3 run to end the season heading into the NWAACC Championships to finish with a 32-20 record, a North Region Tourney title, and a third place overall finish at the NWAACC Championships. Although the team did not get back to where they were pegged at the beginning of the season, the ‘Band-Aid’ rookie squad came close in a valiant effort to get back to the top.
Last Updated February 2, 2016
