High school sports roundup: George’s late score lifts Curtis soccer over Bellarmine Prep
FRIDAY’S RESULTS
BASEBALL
4A
OLYMPIA 8, SUMNER 3
Olympia shortstop Jack Skelley hit a go-ahead grand slam, and the Bears handled Sumner as a jam-packed 4A SPSL jostles for playoff positioning.
In an early 1-0 hole, Olympia’s Trace Pruitt drew a bases-loaded walk that tied the game in the third inning. Up stepped Skelley, a Centralia Community College commit, who pulled a 1-1 offering to deep left field and blew Friday’s rivalry open.
Olympia manufactured five runs in the frame, all with two outs.
“We really preach to the kids... just trying to extend things and pass it on to the next guy,” Olympia pitching coach Reid Hamblet said, also a former fifth-round draft selection by MLB’s Baltimore Orioles in 2005. “It just kept rolling from there.”
Fewer issued walks and cleaner defense in April has Olympia 8-2 across its last 10 games.
Bears starter Travis Kunkel delivered 5 ⅔ strong innings (five hits, two earned runs), a consistent strike-thrower with solid command. Skelley added 1 ⅓ perfect relief innings.
“(Travis) has caught a lot for us this year, but he just has so much potential on the mound,” Hamblet said. “He’s grown a ton in his limited experience so far, but he’s going to be really, really good for the next few years.”
4A SPSL leader Puyallup (12-4) possesses a 2.5-game lead on the division. The next four clubs are separated by one game, and Olympia (10-6) is a participant in the chaos with three to play.
Postseason berths for the league’s top five are essentially guaranteed, but the 4A SPSL’s top four receive a win-and-in scenario at the district tournament, a much-easier path to state.
“You have more breathing room,” Hamblet said. “We’re really fighting hard to get in that top four.
“These kids have been hungry since the beginning of the school year. ... They’ve lifted weights three times a week. We eat together, and do a throwing program, and hit a ton in the offseason. These kids have been wanting it for a long time. And that’s just kind of the torch that’s been passed down every single year from the senior group.”
PUYALLUP 8, EMERALD RIDGE 6
Riley Sanoy’s fifth-inning single plated two runs and lifted Puyallup to victory, the go-ahead base hit in Friday night’s pivotal 4A SPSL rivalry.
The win – and rival-Sumner’s adjacent loss to Olympia, 8-3 – widened Puyallup’s division lead to 2.5 games with four remaining regular-season contests.
Emerald Ridge led by as many as three runs, but Puyallup’s Gage Thompson and Noah Benedict swatted early home runs and the Vikings narrowed Friday’s game with an RBI walk and sacrifice fly in the fifth inning before Sanoy’s go-ahead hit.
Puyallup starter Keenan Masters fanned four and walked two across 3 ⅓ innings, surrendering three hits and four earned runs.
The Vikings are winners of nine consecutive games against in-state opponents.
Sean Tutty (second inning) and Tanner Solinsky (sixth) homered for Emerald Ridge in the loss.
3A
SILAS 5, CENTRAL KITSAP 0
Rams LHP Carter Lystra twirled a six-inning shutout, and Silas blanked Central Kitsap on the road in Friday night’s non-league clash.
Lystra’s two-hitter featured four strikeouts and a walk; Landon Smith’s scoreless seventh inning in relief slammed the door.
Rams second baseman Joe Duke went 3-for-3 with a walk and three RBI, including a crucial, two-run single in the fifth inning that doubled Silas’ lead.
Lystra continues a dominant sophomore campaign, now 3-0 with a 1.06 ERA and 0.949 WHIP. In 26 ⅓ total innings, the lefty has notched 31 strikeouts, seven walks, and four earned runs allowed.
Silas (8-2) and Bonney Lake (8-2) remain tied for second-place honors in the 3A PCL behind undefeated league-champion Stadium.
SOFTBALL
4A
OLYMPIA 3, EMERALD RIDGE 2
One day after Emerald Ridge ten-runned the Bears, Olympia earned revenge.
Bears ace Sami Potvin was the hero: she threw a complete-game one-hitter with 15 strikeouts and smacked the go-ahead, two-run single in the third inning that pushed Olympia over Emerald Ridge on Friday night.
Olympia’s Brooklyn Crass hit her sixth home run of the season -- a leadoff solo shot in the fifth inning -- tying Potvin for the team lead.
Potvin’s season numbers are again elite, now a senior in 2024: across 62 innings, she is 2-0 with a 1.92 ERA. Potvin has struck out 135 and walked just 11 batters (12.27 K/BB). And at the plate, Olympia’s top hitter is 26-for-48 (.542) with 25 RBI and a 1.634 OPS.
The Bears (10-2) hold a one-game lead for the 4A SPSL lead; six games remain.
MORE SCORES
BASEBALL
4A SPSL
South Kitsap 6, Curtis 2
Bellarmine Prep 5, Bethel 1
NON-LEAGUE
Spanaway Lake 21, Renton 2
SOFTBALL
4A SPSL
Rogers (Puyallup) 4, Sumner 1
THURSDAY’S RESULTS (APRIL 18)
BOYS SOCCER
4A
CURTIS 2, BELLARMINE PREP 1
Curtis striker Andrew George netted Thursday night’s game-winner in the 76th minute, a late score that lifted the Vikings over Bellarmine Prep.
A fierce 4A SPSL rivalry, George’s goal kept Curtis tied atop the league standings and handed Bellarmine Prep its second loss, tightening a race with four remaining regular-season games.
“They never give up on each other,” Curtis coach Eddie Na said. “It doesn’t matter if there’s one minute left. If they feel even a sniff of a chance, they’re going to keep running. And that’s exactly what happened tonight.”
From midfield, Israel Wanbiru sent an accurate through ball to George, who took it with his left foot and tucked it away.
Curtis’ Drew Castellanos scored the game’s first goal in the 23rd, weaving through defenders and winning a one-on-one with the keeper.
Bellarmine Prep’s Jaggar Judkins netted the equalizer in the 35th.
“Bellarmine came out fully ready to play,” Na said. “They were moving the ball well.”
SOFTBALL
4A
EMERALD RIDGE 14, OLYMPIA 4 (5)
Emerald Ridge ace Alanna Wirtala shut down one of the 4A SPSL’s top lineups, and the Jaguars ten-runned Olympia for a crucial win in a league that is far from decided.
Wirtala took a perfect-game bid into the fourth inning, retiring the game’s first nine Bears in order. She struck out six and walked none, surrendering four late hits and four runs (two earned).
Olympia’s Avery Mauldin ended the perfect-game bid with a leadoff double in the fourth inning, and Brooklyn Crass blasted a two-run homer on the very next pitch.
Gone was the perfecto, and gone was Emerald Ridge’s comfortable three-run lead, back to one -- all in the span of two pitches.
How would the Jaguars respond? Emerald Ridge ran away. On the first pitch of the home fourth, Taylor Orgeles lifted a solo homer to center field, sparking a nine-run frame that featured four extra-base hits.
Olympia (9-2) suffers its second loss. The first, on April 9, was a more-competitive 6-4 defeat to Puyallup, another contender.
The Bears get an instant shot at revenge: Olympia hosts Emerald Ridge for the finale of a two-game series on Friday night.
The SPSL’s top-five teams in the standings are separated by less than three games. Sumner (7-1) holds a slim half-game lead as of Thursday evening.
3A
TIMBERLINE 3, RIVER RIDGE 1
Midway through Timberline’s softball practice earlier this week, freshman outfielder Brookelyn Read launched her first-ever home run over the outfield fence. Not her first in a game, not her first for Timberline – her first ever.
Read took to hitting drills, wanting to prevent ground-ball swings and lift the ball in the air. She sank her legs slightly and geared her swing to “see through the middle of the ball,” her coach, Lynsi Polanco, said.
Something clicked.
“Stay true to your swing,” Read’s coaches reminded her.
And did she ever.
Read just posted the game of her life; rather, the at-bat of her life. Blanked by River Ridge across five innings, Timberline’s first-year left fielder launched the go-ahead, three-run homer in the sixth that lifted Timberline to a seventh consecutive victory and revenge-win over the Hawks, the only program to defeat the Blazers this season.
“The timing of it couldn’t have been better,” Polanco said. “For her to hit her first high school home run at that moment, to basically secure the win for us, was huge.
“I’m so happy for her. She’s been working hard.”
Timberline pitcher and TNT All-Area arm Jasmyn Polanco tossed a one-run complete-game on her 18th birthday. She avenged an earlier loss to River Ridge with 11 strikeouts to three hits and two walks, allowing one unearned run.
“She had a chip on her shoulder,” Polanco said. “Playing the team we’ve lost to, this win is huge for us. … She went out there today and gave it her all.”
The win keeps Timberline (6-1) tied atop the 3A SSC standings alongside Yelm (6-1).
BONNEY LAKE 14, LINCOLN 0 (5)
Panthers lefty Aspyn Evanson silenced Lincoln throughout a five-inning one-hitter, and undefeated Bonney Lake (14-0) cruised over its 3A PCL rivals in five innings on Thursday night.
Evanson struck out seven consecutive Abes across a streak that spanned from the second to fourth innings. She allowed just three baserunners and took a no-hitter into the fourth frame, eventually broken up by Lincoln shortstop Joy Wilde’s one-out double.
“Aspyn threw really well. Had good command today, for sure,” Panthers coach Kate Zender said. “She’s just built a lot of confidence throughout the season, and knows her teammates have her back, offensively and defensively.”
It was more than enough for Bonney Lake’s high-octane, never-ending lineup that pounced for 14 runs in three innings. Panthers outfielder Lauryn Lee smacked an RBI single to center in the first inning, and the floodgates opened.
Did you know: Bonney Lake hasn’t lost a regular-season league game since 2016, when the Panthers competed in a now-defunct 3A SPSL? Since it joined the 3A PCL for the 2016-17 season, the program remains untouched (83-0).
Panthers left fielder Morgan Berg punctuated the onslaught with a two-run single in the third inning that pushed Bonney Lake’s lead to 14. Berg finished 2-for-3 with three RBI.
Catcher Riley Shaw went 2-for-2 with a double and two RBI.
“Our one-through-nine did a good job of keeping the pressure on, and getting on-base,” Zender said.
STADIUM 22, SPANAWAY LAKE 2
Tigers third baseman Allison Howes went 3-for-5 with a home run and two doubles, and Stadium routed Spanaway Lake in five innings Thursday in Tacoma.
London Kim and Howes swatted back-to-back home runs in the first inning, part of a 14-run opening frame.
Center fielder Hayden McCabe went 3-for-5 with three runs, and first baseman Izzy Galindo finished 2-for-4 with two doubles and two RBI.
Tigers starting pitcher Lily Hart tossed a one-hitter across three innings, and went 3-for-3 at the plate with three singles and two RBI.
MORE SCORES
BOYS SOCCER
4A
Emerald Ridge 5, Rogers (Puyallup) 2
3A
Peninsula 2, North Thurston 1
WEDNESDAY’S RESULTS (APRIL 17)
BASEBALL
3A
STADIUM 9, BONNEY LAKE 7
Tigers starter Kellen Colglazier stumbled early – but the senior right-hander recovered and his offense provided plenty of support over Bonney Lake, a 9-7 win that guaranteed Stadium (12-0) the regular-season 3A PCL title.
Colglazier issued four walks and hit a batter in the first inning, and Bonney Lake pounced for three early runs. But Stadium’s starter excelled facing the Panthers lineup for a second and third time. He lasted five innings and kept his Tigers in the game, whiffing seven with four hits and four earned runs.
“(Kellen) knew how big the game was,” Stadium coach Justin Hinkle said. “But once he got dialed in, he pitched real well. ... The offense produced enough runs, and we pulled it out in the end.”
When Bonney Lake grabbed three runs in the first inning, Stadium returned fire with four. Second baseman Noah Kula lined a two-out, bases-loaded single to center field that scored two runs and capped Stadium’s four-run opening frame.
Ahead 4-3, Colglazier settled in and Stadium played add-on. In the second, catcher Bennett Nieraeth grounded a bases-loaded, RBI single through the left side, and Dayton Lopez followed with an RBI fielder’s choice that plated Logan Judish.
“It could have been any one of our hitters,” Hinkle said. “They’re all producing at different times, and it’s really fun to watch.
“It’s not just one-through-three hitters. We’ve got one-through-nine.”
Stadium shortstop Jesse Winkler went 2-for-3 with a walk and two runs scored. Lopez and Kula notched two RBI apiece.
The win completed Stadium’s untouched, 12-game run through the PCL and two-game sweep of second-place Bonney Lake (8-2) this week.
“We went 12-0 in-league... and took it,” Hinkle said. “Very proud of the boys.”
NORTH THURSTON 5, YELM 2
Rams starter David Perez threw a one-hitter across four solid innings, and outfielder Tyler Chisa went 2-for-3 with two RBI in North Thurston’s win Wednesday, the program’s second win over rival Yelm in as many days.
Chisa sparked North Thurston’s offense early. After Ethan Shaefer worked a leadoff infield single and stole second base, Chisa lined a two-out double to left that plated his teammate and put the Rams on the board.
To boot, Chisa took third base on an ensuing single and scampered home on a wild pitch, good for North Thurston’s second run in the opening frame.
It provided instant run support for Perez. The Rams righty held Yelm hitless until the third inning, fanning four with two walks and one earned run.
North Thurston added three runs in the third inning -- Chisa poked an RBI single to center field, Rudy Larson drew a bases-loaded walk, and Zach Albright lifted a sacrifice fly to center.
Seven Rams logged at least one hit.
Yelm’s Barrett Schnetz twirled 3 ⅔ shutout relief innings (two hits, two strikeouts).
North Thurston (4-6, 7-8) enjoys a three-game win streak. The Rams silenced Yelm in Tuesday’s two-game series opener, 3-1.
CENTRAL KITSAP 3, TIMBERLINE 2
Central Kitsap’s three-run rally in the sixth inning lifted the Cougars (5-5) over Timberline (5-5) on Wednesday afternoon.
With Central Kitsap’s Hunter Wallis representing the tying run at third base, left fielder Andrew Baisler chopped a one-out grounder to shortstop. Wallis took off for home -- and he beat Timberline’s throw to the plate, tying the game at two.
Sixth-inning ground balls moved Central Kitsap’s Landon Frandsen from first to third, and when Baisler attempted to steal second, Timberline’s infield misplayed the throw and allowed Frandsen to score the go-ahead run.
Timberline first jumped to an early, 1-0 lead when Zack Sanchez stole third base and Central Kitsap’s throw over sailed into the outfield, allowing him to zip home.
Blazers second baseman Aiden Pullar lined an RBI single to right field in the top of the sixth, doubling Timberline’s lead before the Cougars rally, 2-0.
That was all Timberline managed against Cougars starter Grant Lin, who allowed the two runs across six quality innings. He struck out three and walked five.
Timberline outfielder Jake Nadeau went 2-for-2 with a walk.
Frandsen went 2-for-3 with an RBI and run scored.
Central Kitsap’s win snapped a two-game losing skid and earned a two-game series split after Timberline grabbed Tuesday’s opener, 6-4.
MORE SCORES
SOFTBALL
4A SPSL
Curtis 30, Bellarmine Prep 26
3A SSC
Yelm 28, Shelton 5
This story was originally published April 17, 2024 at 8:49 PM.
