Grays Harbor Beats Vigilantes Again

Vigilante starting pitcher Scott Singleton gave a quick glance, then an intensely painful grimace as David Sanchez’s home run sailed over the center-field fence in the fifth inning.

Home runs are usually reason enough to cause anger, but this one came with no balls and two strikes. The two-run shot was an early key as Grays Harbor went on to a 10-2 victory over the Vigilantes in a Western Baseball League game in front of an announced crowd of 2,554 Wednesday at Saddleback College.

It was the fifth consecutive victory for Grays Harbor (10-8) and the fifth loss in six games for the Vigilantes (8-10). The teams conclude the three-game series at 7:05 tonight.

Sanchez’s home run gave Grays Harbor a 5-2 lead and the Gulls scored two more runs in the eighth and three in the ninth. Sanchez also had three singles and scored three runs.

Singleton (2-2) got through the first two innings with little trouble but hit catcher Tom Koerick near his left eye to open the third. Koerick was on his back for about five minutes while the trainers attended to him. He then walked off under his power.

Koerick and second baseman Joel Nations, who was hit in the helmet by a pitch from Singleton in the second inning, were taken to Mission Hospital Regional Medical Center. Each has a mild concussion, Grays Harbor Manager Charley Kerfeld said.

“Both started to get dizzy,” Kerfeld said, “and were about ready to vomit so we got them to the hospital for precautionary reasons.”

Later in the third inning, Sanchez had a run-scoring single to left, another run scored on a fielding error by left fielder Alan Burke and Steve Dietz doubled into the left-field corner to put Grays Harbor ahead, 3-2. The Vigilantes made two errors in the game and have 25 errors in 18 games.

The Vigilantes’ two runs came in the second, an inning that started with great promise.

Bret Barberie, in his first at-bat with the team, walked as did Corey Parker. Eric Brooks then dumped a single into left field to load the bases with no outs.

But Sean Drinkwater struck out on three pitches and Matt Marquez popped up to third base. Chris Ashbach singled to left to drive in two. But the inning ended when Brooks took too big a turn rounding second and was eventually tagged in a rundown for the third out.

Barberie, who joined the team Wednesday, has the most major league experience of any Vigilante player. He had a career average of .271 in 479 games with Montreal, Florida, Baltimore and the Chicago Cubs. He got his first hit in the sixth when he lined a single to center.