District championships: Gig Harbor blanks Kentlake, Sumner buries No. 1 Tahoma
Daniel Sleeter likes playing in district championship games in Auburn.
Last year, he won a 3A District title with the Peninsula Seahawks. This year, he won one with the Gig Harbor Tides, after transferring to play for Gig Harbor coach Ben Sleeter, Daniel’s dad.
He was the starting pitcher in both games. And this time: a five-inning perfect game. No hits, no walks, no errors, no baserunners in a 12-0 win over Kentlake in the 3A District 3 championship game at Auburn High School on Saturday afternoon.
“His command was outstanding,” Ben Sleeter said of his son’s game. “The fastball was good. His ability to throw the cutter and the slider, sinkers, all for strikes. That’s tough when you’ve got them all going. He was pretty locked in.”
Even after a nearly hourlong lightning delay, which forced the teams into the school to wait.
“It was a little weird having to wait around with both teams in the gym, but we still came out with a lot of energy,” Daniel Sleeter said. “It was good, it was great.”
Even sweeter than the last one in a Peninsula jersey, in which Daniel was able to take bragging rights against his dad’s Tides.
“Playing with my dad was great, all my friends over here,” he said. “So this one was definitely a little better.”
Gig Harbor jumped all over Kentlake in the third inning, adding 10 runs and pushing its early 2-0 lead to 12-0.
Catcher Zach Smith drove in four runs on two hits. Sleeter also had a two-hit day, while five other Tides collected a hit apiece, giving Gig Harbor nine hits and six walks in five innings, a complete performance.
Earlier in the day, Gig Harbor beat tournament favorite Decatur, 4-1. Logan Pedersen had a strong outing, allowing one run over 5 1/3 innings of work and striking out three, silencing a lineup that’s been mashing baseballs all spring.
The wins, which come after Gig Harbor beat crosstown rival Peninsula the week prior in the 3A Puget Sound League championship game, give the Tides momentum heading into the 3A state tournament next week.
“I think it’s great,” Daniel Sleeter said. “Everyone really doubted us at the beginning (of the season), especially after getting out to a slow start. Beating Decatur gave us some energy going into this game and beating a really good team in Kentlake was really good for us.”
Ben Sleeter said he hopes the Tides have done enough in the eyes of the committee to earn a high seed, but also feels Gig Harbor’s challenging schedule has the Tides prepared for whoever comes their way.
“We just play whoever’s in front of us, whenever we gotta play,” he said. “Just go and do what we can. I would think we’ve gotta be in good position after a couple wins over really quality teams.”
4A DISTRICT 3/4 CHAMPIONSHIP: SUMNER 10, TAHOMA 2
Sumner is the 4A bidistrict champion after knocking off top-seeded host Tahoma in Saturday night’s championship game.
Brody Santman racked up three hits in five at bats. Wyatt Plyler, Bryce Carl and Evan Hellner each had two-hit games for the Spartan, while shortstop Drew Wicklander drove in three runs.
Cypher got the start, tossing five innings, allowing two runs on one hit and six walks. He struck out five. Cypher and reliever Jake Miller allowed just one hit in seven innings.
Sumner’s big inning came in the fourth, when the Spartans scored five runs on two hits, highlighted by Wicklander’s bases-clearing double.
Sumner figures to be a top three seed in the 4A state tournament.
RED-HOT PUYALLUP SNEAKS IN
The team no one is going to want to face in next week’s 4A state tournament? Red-hot Puyallup, which won three straight elimination games in the bidistrict tournament to earn a state tournament bid.
Because of the way the district bracket is structured, Puyallup, the No. 9 seed in the tournament, was unable to advance to the semifinals or championship game. Only the top eight seeds had the chance to compete for the tournament title.
So the Vikings had to take the tougher road to state. Puyallup, which has now won 10 straight games, beat No. 16 Mount Rainier, 11-1 in the opening round, beat No. 8 Union, 17-2, then beat No. 4 Emerald Ridge, 4-2 on Saturday to advance to the state tournament.
Madden Pike, Cyrus Cline and Max Schweyen combined to throw seven innings, allowing two earned runs, three hits, striking out 10 and walking five.
Other locals to clinch 4A state tournament berths: Sumner, Tahoma, Curtis, Olympia and Kennedy Catholic.
2A DISTRICT 3 CHAMPIONSHIP: BAINBRIDGE 3, FIFE 0
Fife was riding high coming off wins over Port Angeles and North Kitsap in the district quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively, but the bats slowed down against Bainbridge on Saturday afternoon.
Eli Tracy earned the win for Bainbridge, tossing five innings, allowing five hits, no runs, striking out two and walking one.
