‘Beware of the hair’ — Sumner saves season, knocks out Wilson with 11-1 win

Ben Wilson was caught in a rundown between third plate and home and still scored.

Josiah Fidecaro scored the Sumner High School baseball team’s 10th run on an inside-the-park home run.

That’s how sweet things were for the Spartans and how woeful Wednesday was for Wilson High.

Sumner advanced and ended the Rams’ season with an 11-1 victory Wednesday at Auburn High School in the second round of consolation in the 3A West Central/Southwest bidistrict tournament. It ended when Ben Wilson led off the fifth inning with a triple and was later allowed to score because of obstruction by the catcher after a rundown between third and home.

“We were snakebit, bad luck,” first-year Wilson coach Derek Jennings said.

“It’s tough. Now we have to hit the reset button. This being my first (season), it’s going to hurt a little more. First time I’ve felt this way as a high school coach.”

Sumner next plays 3A SPSL rival Auburn Mountainview in another loser-out game at 1 p.m. Saturday at Heidelberg Park in Tacoma. The winner of that game clinches a spot in the 3A state tournament.

It figured that the player with the self-described lushest locks on the team scored the run that put the Spartans ahead for good.

The most noticeable attribute about this Sumner baseball team is all the hair. It’s hard to tell if they are members of a death metal band or baseball players.

“Beware of the hair — it’s our team motto,” Sumner coach Casey Adcox said.

Ben Wilson said he started growing his hair out to look like Sumner football coach Keith Ross, who they call “The Shepherd.”

“Ben has got the best hair on the team,” Fidecaro said. “Ben’s is just like … he’s got that Fabio hair.”

“It’s a little puffy,” said Wilson, a sophomore who doubles as an all-league linebacker in football. “I just use whatever my sister uses. I just steal it. … I don’t think she really knows.”

Adcox hasn’t tried the trend, himself. But he hasn’t yet purchased team hair clippers. In fact, he said he’s considered getting senior Preston Fullington a cut-off shirt instead of a jersey to match his past-shoulder-length hair, and that senior Hogan Leffel’s hair is the most superior on the team.

“Hogan has the volume,” Adcox said. “He’s a health hazard around here because his hair will whip around a corner and knock guys out.

“His hair is good enough to be the best and the second best on the team. Ben might have the best batting average on the team, but I don’t think he can claim best hair.”

Fidecaro pushed Sumner’s lead to 10-1 when he led off the fourth inning with an inside-the-park home run. The ball passed by Rams center fielder Cyrus Maxon when he slid for it, and Fidecaro dove head first into home.

“It felt really good,” Fidecaro said.

He might not have made it had the senior not buzzed his hair after his sophomore year, bucking this Sumner trend.

“It didn’t look too hot,” he said. “And every time I threw the ball my hat would fall off. So I was done with that.”

Auburn Mountainview 9, Prairie 2: This is not the same Lions team Glen Walker is used to.

For one, it’s in the consolation bracket of the 3A West Central/Southwest bidistrict tournament and hoping to fend off elimination to earn a state berth. It did that Wednesday behind Alex McBee’s arm and now the 2013 state champions need one more win to clinch their sixth state trip since 2009.

“I really feel like this is a state-caliber team,” said Walker, who is in his 11th season as the Lions’ coach. “There isn’t a team we can’t beat if we play like we’re capable of.”

McBee allowed one hit and two earned runs while striking out eight, though he walked six.

Auburn Mountainview (13-9) scored five runs in the first inning on one hit. The Lions drew five walks and got an RBI single from Dom Gleason. McBee retired 11 of the final 12 batters to make the lead stand.

This story was originally published May 11, 2016 at 11:07 PM with the headline "‘Beware of the hair’ — Sumner saves season, knocks out Wilson with 11-1 win."