4/16/16

ESN was at Cheney Stadium on Saturday for a double header of High School Baseball action. Below are the results stories and picture galleries.

Game 1: Kennedy Catholic 2, Mount Rainier 0

(Tacoma, WA) These two teams have built a bit of a rivalry over the past several years as this was the 3rd season in a row they met at Cheney Stadium. Coming in Kennedy Catholic was 8-0 in the Seamount League and 9-3 overall and Mount Rainier was 1-5 in the SPSL and 3-9 overall so it looked like maybe this was a mismatch.

It didn’t play out that way though and ended up in a pitcher’s dual although two complete different approaches. The Lancers sent out 5 pitchers limiting each to no more than 2 innings while the Rams stuck with Jared Scott to go the distance.

Scott gave up 2 hits while the Lancers crew gave up 3. Neither side had an earned run but 2 wild pitches cost the Rams the game. For the Lancers Rhyse Frey started and mowed down the Rams 6 in a row with 3 strike-outs. Scott would get out of a runners on the corners with 1 out situation in the 2nd with a pop up to 1st baseman Armond Swanson and a fly-out to Kalib Johnson.

The Lancers would get the only run they would need in the 3rd when with 1 out Nick Blakely would walk. Jared Thurber singled and the Lancers had runners on the corners with 1 out again. This time a low pitch would get past Rams catcher Nick Dammeier and Blakely would score to go up 1-0.

KC would get an insurance run in the 5th on a similar situation. Andrew Ellingson walked and pinch runner Garrett Koller came in and advanced to 2nd on a sac bunt from Aaron Barber. Blakely would single moving Koller to 3rd and then another low pitch getting by Dammeier would score Koller and the Lancers would take a 2-0 lead.

The combined pitching of the Lancers staff from Frey to Nick Horn, Jaiden Nelson, Michael Werlech and then Ellingson combined for the 3-hit shut out and the Lancers would score their 10th win of the season.

Our Tommy Lowe of the Greene Realty Group Players of the Game were Rhyse Frey for Kennedy Catholic and Jared Scott for the Rams. Our ProActive Physical Therapy Play of the Game went to the Lancers’ Garrett Schubert for several plays at 1st digging balls out of the dirt keeping the Rams from getting on the board.

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Game 2: South Kitsap 5, Gig Harbor 4

(Tacoma, WA) This was an important game for 2 reasons, 1st it was a big Narrows League game that would either put Gig Harbor in control of the race for the Championship or the defending 4A State Champion South Kitsap Wolves would get back into the title hunt. The 2nd reason was the off the field tribute both teams gave to local Military service men and women and local fallen soldiers and their families.

Both teams wore special jersey’s with the names of fallen service men and women on the back and after the game they presented the worn jersey’s to the families for them to keep. The pre-game ceremony also included a speech from 26th district State Representative Jesse Young and the National Anthem sung by the South Kitsap choir.

Once the game began it was all business and it looked like the Gig Harbor Tides might just bust this game open in the 1st. With 1 out Cam McIntosh walked and was followed by a base hit from RJ Green and then another walk to Colton Robinson to load the bases with 1 down. Chad Stevens came through with a base hit but that would only get 1 in and the Tides jumped out to a 1-0 lead but the bases were still loaded with 1 out. Jon Burghardt then grounded one to SK’s shortstop Hunter Riley who flipped it to Bryce Wolfe for 1 force out and then turned and gunned down Burghardt for the inning ending double play that limited the damage to just 1 run. This play was also named our ProActive Physical Therapy Play of the Game.

South Kitsap would tie the game in the bottom of the 2nd when Riley led off with a walk and Austin Bayne unloaded a huge deep double to center field easily scoring Riley. The Wolves would take the lead in the top of the 3rd when Connor Seaton led off with a massive shot to left field for a stand-up double. Seaton would score with 2 outs on an error on Tides 3rd baseman Robinson.

Gig Harbor would strike back in the top of the 4th with 2 runs of their own as Robinson led off by getting hit by a pitch. Stevens then slapped a base hit. After a line-out Neal Hasson found a gap and drove one into the left center hole for a stand-up double and would score Robinson but Stevens who also tried to score got thrown out at home for the 2nd out. Jeremy Schnurman then popped a base hit to score the 2nd run and the Tides took a 3-2 lead.

SK would tie it again in the bottom of the 4th on a 2-out rally starting with another double by Bayne, this time down left field line. Relief pitcher Nathaniel Rowan then stepped up and helped his own cause rapping a single scoring Bayne and tying the game at 3-3.

The score would stay this way until the bottom of the 6th when the Wolves picked up the go-ahead run but also a huge insurance run that would pay off. Alex Garcia got things started with a base hit followed by another hit by Bayne. After a strikeout, Connor Seaton would be awarded 1st base for catcher interference and the bases were loaded with 1 out. Dusty Garcia hammered a high fly to center field easily scoring Alex Garcia on the sac fly and the Wolves held a 4-3 lead. SK then got a huge 5th run when Wolfe came through with an RBI single making it 5-3 heading into the top of the 7th.

The Tides needed 2 runs and with 1 out Michael Toglia the starting pitcher and lead-off hitter cut the deficit in half with a towering blast to right field and over the fence for a solo shot home run. Rowan then buckled down and got the next 2 batters to fly out and the Wolves secured a big league win. South Kitsap is now 4-2 in Narrows League play while Gig Harbor falls to 7-1 and into a tie with Olympia for 1st place. The Wolves in 3rd and Timberline at 3-3 now in 4th place.

Our Tommy Lowe of the Greene Realty Group Players of the Game went to Austin Bayne for South Kitsap and Mike Toglia for the Tides.

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