High school baseball: District tournament roundup
SATURDAY (MAY 14)
3A
NO. 2 BONNEY LAKE 8, NO. 5 GIG HARBOR 1
Nic Lewandowski whiffed nine hitters across six innings and Bonney Lake pounced for eight runs to secure a state-tournament berth.
Lewandowski allowed just one run on a solo homer in the fourth inning. His final line: six innings, two hits, one run, nine strikeouts, and four walks.
Brennan Carbonell smacked a game-high three hits, and Mason Wright and Duncan Roush each drove in a pair of runs.
Gig Harbor can still grab one of six allocated state tournament spots; they’ll meet North Thurston on Saturday night in a win-or-go-home contest.
NO. 5 GIG HARBOR 3, NO. 12 NORTH THURSTON 2
Gig Harbor outlasted North Thurston to secure the district’s sixth and final state-tournament allocation.
The Tides faltered earlier Saturday in an 8-1 loss to Bonney Lake, but rebounded to beat the 12th-ranked Rams in a win-or-go-home contest.
NO. 8 BAINBRIDGE 12, NO. 6 SILAS 1
Bainbridge exploded for 12 runs and beat Silas to secure a third-place finish in the District 3/4 3A bracket.
Pitchers JR Ritchie and Luke Lavigne combined for a five-hit, one-run performance over the Rams. Ritchie earned the win, whiffing nine batters.
Bainbridge tacked on an early run in the first inning and cushioned their lead with two runs in the third and a run in the fourth.
Connor Sweeny hit a two-run homer in the fifth, and Ritchie blasted a three-run homer an inning later.
Both squads secured state-tournament berths with first-round wins on May 7.
NO. 9 KELSO 2, NO. 12 NORTH THURSTON 0
Carter Gaston tossed a one-hit shutout across 6 1/3 innings and Kelso secured a trip to the state tournament.
A pair of two-out walks loaded the bases for Kelso in the third inning, and Easton Marshall plated Hunter Letteer on an infield single. A subsequent walk scored another.
North Thurston’s Rudy Larson smacked the team’s only hit on a second-inning single. Gaston pitched into the seventh inning; he walked five and whiffed nine.
Kelso’s Jackson Toms entered to pitch with one out in the seventh inning, and induced a pair of groundouts to end the game.
2A
NO. 5 STEILACOOM 7, NO. 2 ENUMCLAW 4
Reese Widman came up big for the Sentinels.
After the Hornets took a 3-0 lead after the home half of the first inning, Steilacoom loaded the bases with two singles and a walk. Sophomore pitcher Karson Holt then got two strikeouts to bring junior Widman up to the plate.
The first two pitches resulted in foul balls, but then Widman ripped a double to center field, sending in three runners to tie the game up at three. Sophomore Micah Bujacich then singled to left field and brought Widman home.
After taking the 4-3 lead, the Sentinels never looked back. Their win gives Steilacoom third place in the district tournament and Enumclaw finishes fourth. Both teams will advance to regionals.
1A
NO. 2 KLAYHOWYA 7, NO. 3 VASHON ISLAND 3
The Pirates just cannot figure out the Eagles.
These two teams already met in the District 3 1A tournament, where Klayhowya blanked Vashon Island 10-0. Although the Pirates were able to score some runs in this game, three just wasn’t enough.
The Eagles will move onto the state tournament, while Vashon ends their season with a 9-10 record.
MORE SCORES
4A
No. 5 Sumner 15, No. 16 Rogers 5
No. 6 Tahoma 3, No. 15 Skyview 2
No. 7 Curtis 7, No. 4 Camas 6
2A
No. 9 Port Angeles 16, No. 11 Orting 8
MAY 13
1A
NO. 3 VASHON ISLAND 7, NO. 4 CASCADE CHRISTIAN 2
The Pirates’ win over the Cougars keeps their season alive and an outside shot to make it to the District 3 1A regional tournament.
Ahead of them lies Klayhowya in the second-place game in the district tournament. Their game will happen at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 14 at Foss High School.
MAY 10
2A
NO. 2 ENUMCLAW 11, NO. 7 OLYMPIC 0
Drake Anderson was coach Eric Fiedler’s “Star of the Game.”
Anderson, Enumclaw’s senior southpaw, tossed a complete-game three-hitter, and the Hornets stung Olympic in five innings, 11-0, to punch their ticket to the 2A state tournament.
“He doesn’t throw super hard, but hits his spots and has a really good curveball and slider,” Fiedler said. “He kept them off balance, and they were never really able to mount a serious threat.”
Anderson worked a quick top of the first inning before Enumclaw’s offense quickly added three in the home half of the frame. Noah Seabrands led off with a double to right field, and the Hornets took advantage of Olympic’s outfield miscues.
“Our field can be tough to play on at four o’clock,” Fiedler said. “It’s really bright in the outfield. You can lose baseballs in the sky… that really aided some big innings.”
Anderson went on to pitch the entirety of Tuesday’s contest and struck out eight. Enumclaw’s Ethan Thomas added a two-run homer.
Olympic’s state-tournament hopes aren’t completely squashed, though they’ll need three consecutive wins to join the Hornets in the state bracket.
“I’m just proud of how our guys approached the game,” Fiedler said. “They were ready to go from first pitch on, and we played that way.”
NO. 5 STEILACOOM 8, NO. 4 WHITE RIVER 1
Aidan Rady twirled 6 1/3 innings of one-run ball and Steilacoom clinched a trip to the state tournament with an 8-1 win over White River.
Steilacoom’s offense rallied for six runs in the sixth inning with help from the top of their lineup. Leadoff hitter Reese Widman plated a pair of runs on a single that made the score 6-0, and Micah Bujacich followed that up with a two-run homer.
Caleb Bujacich opened Steilacoom’s scoring with a first-inning sacrifice fly. Derrik Perez added a RBI single in the fourth.
Rady allowed just two Hornet hits and walked three batters. He struck out eight across 99 pitches, 64 of them strikes.
The Sentinels advanced to Saturday’s District 2/3 2A semifinal and will play in the state tournament, regardless of this weekend’s result.
NO. 6 FIFE 5, NO. 3 SAMMAMISH 1
Spencer Willhite tossed a one-hitter and Fife beat Sammamish, 5-1, to punch their state-tournament ticket.
Willhite dazzled, needing only 82 pitches for a seven-inning complete game. He allowed just one Sammamish hit — a third-inning single — and wouldn’t allow an earned run. He walked a pair and whiffed four.
Jaiden Orchard extended Fife’s lead to 4-0 with a three-run homer in the third inning.
MORE SCORES
No. 1 North Kitsap 10, No. 8 Highline 0
No. 9 Port Angeles 8, No. 14 Franklin Pierce 5
No. 10 Bremerton 14, No. 16 Renton 1
No. 11 Orting 8, No. 15 Lindbergh 4
No. 13 Kingston 4, No. 12 Evergreen (Seattle) 1
MAY 7
4A
NO. 1 PUYALLUP 10, NO. 8 FEDERAL WAY 0
Adam Brooks twirled five shutout innings and Puyallup advanced to the second round of the District 3/4 4A tournament with a 10-0 win over Federal Way.
“(Brooks) competed,” coach Marc Wiese said, “and he didn’t have his A-stuff today. Wind was blowing 30 miles an hour in his face... but he pitched really well. I was really proud of him.
“He just went out and competed, pounded the strike zone, and allowed our defense to play.”
Puyallup opened Saturday’s scoring off of a fielding error, and Garrett Ringer hit an RBI double to give the Vikings a 2-0 lead in the first inning.
Noah Fields chipped in with a two-hit day, and a deep Vikings lineup — one Wiese described as “balanced” — would only add on.
Federal Way fell to a loser-out meeting with Rogers on May 10. They’re still in the hunt for the regional tournament, but now need a pair of wins to qualify.
NO. 3 OLYMPIA 11, NO. 6 TAHOMA 8
Olympia plated 10 runs in the fourth inning and outlasted Tahoma, 11-8, in the first round of the District 3/4 4A tournament.
A mix of walks and timely hitting propelled Olympia’s fourth frame. The Bears put together quality at-bats — particularly with two strikes, coach Derek Weldon said — before cashing in.
“Some knocks and some freebies,” Weldon called it, “and we were able to put it together. I’m super proud of my guys, down six to one. Just the way they fought and competed.”
Rylan Haider lasted four innings as Olympia’s starter. Hunter Stewart appeared for the fifth inning, and Taber Fast locked down the win with two innings of relief.
Olympia advanced to the district semifinals and punched their ticket to the state tournament.
“It’s a big one. You’re in,” Weldon said. “Our guys have lofty goals and high expectations for how we finish the year.
“Today just gets us one step closer to that.”
NO. 4 CAMAS 9, NO. 5 SUMNER 3
The Papermakers made early noise with five runs in the first inning and coasted to a 9-3 win over Sumner in the opening round of the District 3/4 4A tournament.
The victory clinched an appearance in the regional tournament for Camas, while Sumner drops to a loser-out meeting with Kennedy Catholic on Tuesday.
Both teams added a pair of runs in the second inning, and Zach Blair’s RBI triple in the fifth inning pushed the score to 9-3, per Tim Martinez of The Columbian.
Camas advances to a district semifinal meeting with top-ranked Puyallup on May 14.
MORE SCORES
No. 7 Curtis 3, No. 2 Kentridge 2 (12 innings)
No. 11 Kentwood 2, No. 14 South Kitsap 1
No. 13 Kennedy Catholic 3, No. 12 Emerald Ridge 1
No. 15 Skyview 2, No. 10 Bellarmine 1
No. 16 Rogers (Puyallup) 8, No. 9 Battle Ground 3
3A
NO. 1 PENINSULA 11, NO. 7 AUBURN MOUNTAINVIEW 0
Peninsula drove in 11 runs and Hunter Bennett tossed five shutout innings to beat Auburn Mountainview in the District 3/4 3A tournament’s opening round and clinch a spot in the regional bracket.
Bennett, a senior, allowed just two hits in five frames of work. He consistently worked ahead in the count, and threw strikes, coach Michael Johnson said.
“Something we we try to preach to our pitchers is to trust guys behind you,” Johnson added, “and he did just that today.”
Sophomore third baseman Justin Grande contributed with a pair of hits, and Peninsula scored in each of the first four innings. Johnson saw production from the entire lineup, “which was part of the fun.”
“This group’s really worked so hard and earned this opportunity,” Johnson said. “And as a coach, I just couldn’t be more proud of how resilient they’ve been all year. (They) bought into becoming a family, and playing for something greater than just themselves. It’s a special moment for this group.”
NO. 9 KELSO 4, NO. 16 TIMBERLINE 3
Jackson Toms hit a walk-off single and Kelso stormed back in the final inning to beat Timberline, 4-3.
The walk-off capped a three-run seventh inning shortly after Timberline scored a pair in the top of the frame to grab a 3-1 lead.
Kaleb McNeely put Timberline on the board with a first-inning solo homer. In the fourth, Kelso’s Easton Marshall doubled home Zeke Smith to tie the game at one.
Kelso’s Carter Gaston tossed a complete game, whiffing 10 batters and walking one. He allowed four hits and three runs — two of them earned — across 101 pitches.
The Hilanders advanced from Saturday’s loser-out contest and now travel to face Auburn Mountainview on Tuesday.
NO. 13 AUBURN RIVERSIDE 8, NO. 10 LAKES 3
Auburn Riverside’s Cole Foster halted a Lakes comeback effort and helped lock down an 8-3 win over the Lancers on Saturday afternoon in the District 3/4 3A tournament.
Lakes loaded the bases with no outs in the final frame, which brought the tying run to the on-deck circle. Foster, on the mound, struck out the next two batters and induced a game-ending fly out from Justin Brennan.
Auburn Riverside eliminated Lakes from the bracket and advanced to Tuesday’s second round. They’ll visit the loser of Saturday night’s meeting between Gig Harbor and Auburn.
NO. 6 SILAS 4, NO. 4 MOUNTAIN VIEW 2
Mountain View mustered just three hits and Silas advanced to the second round of the District 3/4 3A tournament with a 4-2 win on Saturday.
The win means the Rams — now 14-7 overall — will appear in the regional tournament.
Silas’ Joseph Gutierrez went six innings without allowing an earned run (two unearned). Mountain View’s offense logged only two hits on Gutierrez, who walked another pair and struck out three.
Blaine Pinchak earned the save, inducing the final three outs on eight pitches.
Hayden Luhring, Drew Hobson, and Nathan Eisenmenger added two hits and one RBI apiece.
The Rams visit Peninsula on May 14 in the district semifinals. Mountain View, now one loss from elimination, hosts North Thurston in a loser-out game Tuesday.
NO. 15 PRAIRIE 11, NO. 11 KENTLAKE 2
Prairie exploded for four runs in each of the sixth and seventh innings and advanced in the District 3/4 3A tournament with an 11-2 win over Kentlake.
Prairie scored two runs in the opening frame -- Kentlake answered with a pair in the second -- and reclaimed the lead when Collin Schiller scored Wren Cecil on a two-out double in the third.
Schiller finished 4-for-4, pacing both teams in hits.
Already up one, Prairie’s offense added insurance with eight combined runs in the final two frames. Demetri Garifalakis, who drove in a game-high three runs, blasted a three-run homer over the right field fence in the seventh inning that pushed the lead to 11-2.
Prairie starter Nathanael Merritt logged five innings, allowing two runs on three hits. He walked two and struck out five.
Each of Kentlake’s two runs came on solo homers via Kyle Larson and Xavier Yearby. David Pardey Jr. put together the Falcons’ sole multi-hit performance.
MORE SCORES
No. 3 Auburn 7, No. 5 Gig Harbor 4
No. 12 North Thurston 7, No. 14 Stadium 0
No. 8 Bainbridge 7, No. 2 Bonney Lake 2
This story was originally published May 7, 2022 at 4:44 PM.