These South Sound baseball teams have clinched WIAA state tournament berths
Postseason baseball is here.
With district brackets underway, these South South programs have punched tickets to the Washington WIAA state tournaments, which begin later this month.
This story will be updated throughout the weekend to include all local programs with state berths:
SATURDAY
CLASS 4A
ROGERS (PUYALLUP)
West Central District 3/4 – Winner to State
Rogers 7, Kentridge 4
Ian Draper’s go-ahead, three-run home run in the fifth inning lifted Rogers over Kentridge, 7-4, and into the state tournament.
With a pair of leadoff singles aboard, Draper hammered a three-run blast to left, erasing Rogers’ two-run deficit with one swing. The Rams added a pair of sixth-inning insurance runs, and starting pitcher Talan Robertson threw five solid innings for a 7-4 victory at Lincoln High School in Tacoma on Saturday morning.
Robertson struck out six and walked four, allowing three hits and four runs (one earned) across five frames.
Still, Kentridge can punch a ticket to state with a win later Saturday afternoon. The Chargers meet a to-be-determined opponent at Lincoln at 4 p.m.
CLASS 3A
GIG HARBOR
West Central District 3/4 – Winner to State
Gig Harbor 3, Capital 0
Ticket punched: Riley Westfall’s no-hit bid ended one out short, but the senior right-hander’s fantastic outing pushed the Tides over Capital on Saturday afternoon, good for a state berth.
Westfall’s best start of the year lasted 6 ⅔ innings, featuring no runs and two late hits with four walks and three strikeouts. Capital’s Gavin Dolan broke up the no-no with two outs in the seventh inning, a ground ball to third base that Ryland Heckman couldn’t cleanly gather.
Another Cougars hit allowed the tying run to enter the batter’s box, but Gig Harbor reliever Josh Dunham recorded the final out and saved Westfall’s shutout effort.
Gig Harbor plated all three runs in the fifth inning, capped by right fielder Daniel Porras’ two-out, RBI single to left. Outfielder Cooper McCutcheon was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and Hunter Payne lifted a sacrifice fly earlier in the frame.
Despite a league title, Capital’s chance for a state bid has to wait. The Cougars meet Auburn Mountainview at 4 p.m. at Auburn Riverside High School for the district’s final state allocation. The loser’s season ends.
KENTLAKE
West Central District 3/4 – Winner to State
Kentlake 4, Auburn Mountainview 1
Falcons starter Gavin Liechty navigated traffic for five strong innings, and Christopher Moore lined a two-run double that widened Kentlake’s lead in a 4-1 win over Auburn Mountainview on Saturday morning.
Liechty allowed two hits and issued seven walks, but fanned seven that protected the senior right-hander from damage.
Tied at one in the fourth inning, Matthew Ledbetter grounded into a go-ahead fielder’s choice with the bases loaded, and Moore lined the next pitch to left field for a two-run double that pushed Kentlake’s lead to three.
The 4-1 win ensures Kentlake’s state berth. Auburn Mountainview needs a win later Saturday in a winner-to-state, loser-out affair to advance.
CLASS 2A
TUMWATER
District 4 – Winner to State, Loser Out
Tumwater 3, R.A. Long 2
The two-time defending state champions are going back to the big dance.
Eddie Marson’s walk-off single completed a two-run comeback in the final frame, lifting Tumwater over R.A. Long in a district clash that sent the winner to state and the loser home. Trailing 2-1 in the home seventh, Tumwater drew a pair of leadoff walks before Derek Thompson singled home the game-tying run and Marson won it.
Marson reached in each of four plate appearances, going 3-for-3 with a walk and two RBI, the game’s final at-bat certainly the shortstop’s biggest.
T-Birds starter Liam Karlson threw a complete game, allowing six hits and two earned runs with five strikeouts. He did not issue a walk.
WHITE RIVER
West Central District 2/3 – Winner to State, Loser Out
White River 1, Sammamish 0
Hornets starter Aaden Rathbun dazzled throughout a complete-game shutout, and White River survived Sammamish to grab the district’s final state allocation on Saturday afternoon.
Rathbun’s sensational start featured 10 strikeouts and three hits with zero earned runs. He did not issue a walk.
Hornets shortstop Jackson Rock plated the game’s only run on a fifth-inning sacrifice fly.
CLASS 1A
VASHON ISLAND
West Central District III – Winner to State, Loser Out
Vashon Island 2, Charles Wright 0
Finn Hawkins was one out shy of a complete-game postseason shutout when Vashon Island’s senior starter ran into trouble.
In the highest of stakes – a winner-to-state, loser-out, all-or-nothing proposition – Charles Wright loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning, down 2-0. Hawkins plunked a batter with one out, surrendered a live-drive single with two outs, then walked the bases full.
Could the Tarriers steal the game and a trip to state? Vashon Island’s Will Frith refused. He assumed the mound for a one-out save and delivered, preserving a 2-0 win and Hawkins’ gem. On a full-count payoff, he struck out Charles Wright’s Jaiden Brokens that punched Vashon Island’s ticket to the state tournament.
Hawkins shoved 6 ⅔ shutout innings with undeniably high stakes at Foss High School in Tacoma, allowing one hit with four walks and six strikeouts. And he provided his only run support on Saturday morning, lashing a two-run double to right field that scored Finnian Magonegil and Jack Harvey in the first inning.
Vashon Island grabbed a second-place district finish and the last of two state allocations. Bellevue Christian defeated Charles Wright on Friday night, 3-0, in the district championship at Foss.
TUESDAY (MAY 7)
CLASS 4A
OLYMPIA
West Central District 3/4 – 4A Opening Round (Winner to State)
Olympia 7, Kennedy Catholic 1
With his season on the line, Olympia ace Trace Pruitt conquered the NPSL champions.
The UW commit tossed a one-run gem, shortstop Jack Skelley notched a four-hit game, and Olympia toppled the Lancers in Tuesday’s winner-to-state district opener.
Pruitt was phenomenal – he dazzled across 6 2/3 frames with a healthy pitch mix, locating to perfection. He struck out nine and walked two, allowing one earned run; Kennedy Catholic mustered five hits.
“It’s like a video game with him up there,” Olympia coach Derek Weldon told The News Tribune. “You can get a couple pitches ahead and really set some stuff up.”
His convincing victory over Kennedy Catholic guarantees Olympia a top-four finish in the district bracket and clinches another trip to state, a regularity for the Bears since 2019.
“It was a big one. You have a chance to extend your season,” Weldon said. “You lose today, you might only have one guaranteed day left in your season. Win today, you extend your season by 10, 11 days. … It’s exciting.”
Skelley doubled twice, going 4-for-4 with an RBI and two runs.
TAHOMA
West Central District 3/4 – 4A Opening Round (Winner to State)
Tahoma 3, Emerald Ridge 0
In Maple Valley, they call him “Big Game Adam” for a reason.
Bears lefty Adam Jay gave Emerald Ridge no chance. The junior No. 1 sparkled across 6 ⅔ shutout frames, and first baseman Jackson Walker launched two home runs that lifted Tahoma to victory in Tuesday’s winner-to-state district opener over the Jaguars, 3-0.
Jay fanned nine, retiring 20 of 23 total batters across the southpaw’s one-hitter. He walked two.
Jay earned the nickname during a dominant stretch throughout the 2023 postseason, helping earn a third-place 4A finish. Now, Tahoma returns for more. Tuesday’s win and Jay’s latest gem punched the program’s ticket back to state in Bellingham, held May 24-25.
“His fastball is his bread and butter,” Tahoma coach Brett Jaime said. “He gets a lot of movement on it, and it’s really tough to hit.”
Scoreless in the fourth inning, Jay reached base via fielding error, followed by Walker’s first mash – a two-run blast over the left-field wall at Emerald Ridge High School.
Walker’s second homer provided sixth-inning insurance, a solo blast that led off the sixth.
“Those were (Jackson’s) first home runs of the year,” Jaime said. “And he’s hit a lot of balls close. A lot of balls to the fence, either to the wrong part of the ballpark or barely under it. But he finally got a hold of a couple that left. That was cool for him.”
Jay improves to 4-1 with a 2.22 ERA in his junior season, featuring 59 strikeouts and 17 total walks. Opponents are hitting just .184 against Tahoma’s left-hander.
Tahoma advances to Saturday morning’s district semifinals at Art Wright Field in Kent, with a chance to play for the title Saturday night. The bracket’s top seven finishers secure state allocations.
Emerald Ridge would advance to state with consecutive wins on May 8 and May 11.
PUYALLUP
West Central District 3/4 – 4A Opening Round (Winner to State)
Puyallup 6, Decatur 0
Mason Pike posted another shutdown start, and Puyallup blanked Dectaur in Tuesday night’s district opener that secured another to the state tournament.
Puyallup’s ace struck out 13, walked three, and denied Decatur an extra-base hit at the Heritage Recreation Center. He threw 62 of 95 pitches for strikes.
Vikings right fielder Nate Benedict launched a solo homer in the sixth, extending Puyallup’s lead to six, and finished 2-for-2 with a walk, run, and two RBI.
Puyallup, the 4A SPSL champion, meets Camas in a district semifinal on Saturday afternoon (1 p.m.) at Art Wright Field in Kent.
CLASS 3A
STADIUM
West Central District 3/4 – 3A Opening Round (Winner to State)
Stadium 6, Auburn Mountainview 2
Riley Newman blanked the Lions across five scoreless frames, and Stadium’s offense erupted early and often in Tuesday afternoon’s 6-2 win over Auburn Mountainview.
Newman navigated five Auburn Mountainview hits without damage, adding four strikeouts without a walk. Stadium scored in each of the first four innings, enough to secure the program’s trip back to the state tournament in a winner-to-state district opener at the Heidelberg Sports Complex in Tacoma.
“(Riley) let them hit his pitch, instead of the other way around,” Stadium coach Justin Hinkle said. “He was dominant today. ... And I’m glad he only had to pitch five (innings), because Saturday, he may be available.”
Stadium’s Jackson Noonan and Max Heinze swatted first-inning RBI singles for a two-run lead in the first inning; Noonan scored again in the second on a dropped third strike.
Logan Judish and Finn Wood lifted fourth-inning sacrifice flies that pushed Stadium’s lead to as many as six.
The mantra?
“Don’t settle,” Hinkle said. “Keep adding on and adding on. We hit in clutch situations. ... We’ve worked on that really hard.”
Heinze went 2-for-3 with an RBI.
Stadium advances to Saturday morning’s district semifinals with Silas at Auburn High School.
SILAS
West Central District 3/4 – 3A Opening Round (Winner to State)
Silas 2, Kentlake 0
A thrilling pitcher’s duel, Jesse Bell’s seven-inning shutout prevailed: Silas toppled Kentlake on the road Tuesday night, earning one of the district’s state-tournament allocations behind the junior right-hander’s gem.
Bell fanned five without issuing a walk and surrendered five hits without an earned run. He navigated three total innings (third, fourth, sixth) with two Kentlake runners aboard and induced the game-winning groundout with the tying run at the plate in the seventh.
Silas’ Cade Owen lined the go-ahead, RBI single to center field in the fifth inning, and Carter Lystra scored on a wild pitch to add a run in the sixth.
Kentlake’s Christopher Moore threw a dueling complete game, stellar across seven frames. He struck out 13 and did not issue a walk, surrendering four hits and two earned runs.
Silas meets familiar foe and PCL-rival Stadium in Saturday morning’s district semifinals at Auburn High School. First pitch is scheduled for 10 a.m.
Kentlake would advance to the state bracket with wins on May 8 and May 11.
PENINSULA
West Central District 3/4 – 3A Opening Round (Winner to State)
Peninsula 10, Capital 3
Upset complete – down go the 3A SSC champions.
Seahawks starter John Browand threw a complete game across seven strong, and Peninsula toppled rival Capital on the road Tuesday afternoon, a district opener that guaranteed the winner a state berth.
The 6-foot-7 Browand suffocated the Cougars offense, unwilling to allow a runner in scoring position until the fifth inning. He surrendered three earned runs on eight hits, whiffing two and walking one.
Peninsula added four insurance runs in the sixth inning and led by as many as eight.
First baseman Matthew Sleeter plated runs in the third and sixth innings on a pair of RBI doubles, finishing 2-for-3 with a run and three RBI.
Capital can still advance later this week, but the road gets rockier. The Cougars need consecutive wins on May 8 and May 11 to join Peninsula in the state bracket.
CLASS 2A
ENUMCLAW
West Central District 2/3 – 2A Opening Round (Winner to state)
Enumclaw 12, Olympic 5
The 2A SPSL’s undisputed champion moves on, and the area’s longest win streak grows.
Enumclaw’s Cooper Markham delivered six strong innings, and the Hornets cruised over Olympia, 12-5, in Tuesday afternoon’s district opener, granting a trip back to the state tournament.
The junior right-hander struck out nine and walked four, allowing seven hits and three earned runs in Enumclaw’s postseason opener. And Markham provided himself instant support with an RBI single in the first inning, sparking an early rally that scored Garrett Chavis, the game’s first run.
“Good firm fastball,” Enumclaw coach Eric Fiedler said. “Olympic had a nice approach, I thought, trying to shorten it up and take him the other way. ... But Cooper got it back together and threw (well) throughout the game.”
The Hornets (19-1) are winners of 19 straight games, dropping only a season opener to reigning 2A-champion Tumwater on March 13.
“I just realized that last week,” Fiedler laughed. “And I knew what our record was, but I forgot it was the first game that we lost.
“We don’t talk about (winning 19 straight) at all. I think we have it laid out for our kids really well, which is to win league... and our next hurdle is kind of a fun one -- see what kind of seed we can get (for state).”
Enumclaw center fielder Hunter Anderson went 2-for-3 with four runs and three RBI.
STEILACOOM
West Central District 2/3 – 2A Opening Round (Winner to state)
Steilacoom 16, Sammamish 0
As if an eight-run cushion wasn’t already enough, Steilacoom doubled that total in the final frame and used an eight-run seventh inning to emphatically slam the door on Sammamish on Tuesday afternoon.
The Sentinels are going back to the state tournament.
“Team at-bats,” Steilacoom coach Corey Widman said. “Pass the sticks to the next guy.”
Steilacoom’s Micah Bujacich twirled a complete-game shutout with a dozen strikeouts, and four Sentinels notched multi-RBI games.
Bujacich surrendered three singles without a walk or extra-base hit. Steilacoom pounced for seven runs in the second inning, and the UW commit cruised.
“(Micah’s) will to compete is second to none. I think the only other guy that I’ve had like that is my own son, Reese,” whom Widman lost in 2023. “Reese and Micah grew up with each other and fed off of each other.
“Micah and my relationship isn’t just player-coach… it’s a little bit deeper. When he takes the mound, he’s doing it for his baseball brothers, for Widdy. I wouldn’t bet against him, and I wouldn’t want to step in the box against him.”
Steilacoom’s Luke (3B) and Seth Tchobanoff (catcher) went a combined 4-for-9 with six RBI.
The Sentinels meet North Kitsap in a district semifinal at Central Kitsap High School on Saturday morning. First pitch is scheduled for 10 a.m.
This story was originally published May 7, 2024 at 8:14 PM.
