Crest Division
- Redmond 7, Eastlake 2 - The Mustangs cruised to their seventh straight win behind solid pitching from senior left-hander Mac Acker, eliminating Eastlake from playoff contention, 7-2. Acker allowed 2 earned and struck out 5 over 4 1/3 innings pitched and was helped offensively by Matt Kimmel (2-for-4, 2 runs scored), Drew Fosnes (1-for-3, 2 RBI) and Josh Bircher (1-for-3, double, 2 runs scored). Alex Boyce doubled twice and drove in a run for Eastlake, who fell 3 games back of fourth place Newport with just 2 games remaining. Meanwhile, Redmond clinched no worse than a tie atop the Crest Division headed into Friday's showdown at second place Skyline.
- Issaquah 2, Skyline 1 - The Eagles turned to a freshman to continue their second half surge and Ethan Kalin delivered, holding the Spartans to just one run in 5 2/3 innings as Issaquah won their fourth straight KingCo contest, 2-1 over Skyline. Kalin, making his first Varsity start, pitched to contact all night, walking just one batter while recording 2 punchouts. Catcher Devin O'Donnell's sacrifice fly in the bottom of the seventh broke a 1-1 tie and sent Skyline home with their second straight defeat. Jacob Shannon drove in the lone Spartans run in the second inning. Issaquah maintains a one game lead over Newport for third place, with a showdown between the two teams looming on Friday afternoon.
- Newport 6, Garfield 5 - The Knights survived a five-run seventh inning by Garfield, with senior Andrew Longhorn drawing a bases loaded walk in the bottom of the seventh to give Newport the 6-5 win. Senior right hander Brandon Andreini shined in this one, allowing just a hit and a walk in 6 shutout innings, striking out 10 Bulldogs in the process. His chance at the win was spoiled however by Garfield's 5-run top half of the seventh, which was keyed by Nick Conte (2 RBI) and Sean Gilman (double, RBI). Trase Tam Sing and Kevon Zadeh each had two hits for Newport, which locked up a playoff berth and looks to improve their seeding when they travel to Issaquah on Friday.
Crown Division
- Woodinville 2, Inglemoor 1 - Senior southpaw Brett DeRooy went the distance for the Falcons, allowing just 5 hits and a walk while striking out 4 in Woodinville's big 2-1 win over the Vikings on Wednesday night. Senior Sean Murphy homered for the Falcons, who kept their hopes of a division championship alive. They remain two games back of Lake Washington with two games to play, with a showdown between the teams set for Friday night at 7:00 pm at Woodinville HS. Inglemoor sophomore sensation Obadiah Taylor was the tough luck loser, allowing just 2 hits and 2 earned runs over 6 innings of work. Sam Johnston drove in the Vikings' lone run in a loss that dropped them to 7-7, one game out of third place.
- LW 4, Bothell 3 - Senior Blake Lively's walk-off three-run double in the bottom half of the seventh inning gave the Kangs a dramatic come-from-behind 4-3 win over Bothell on Wednesday night. Sophomore left-hander Kevin McShane kept the Lake Washington bats off balance all night, taking a 3-1 lead into the seventh inning, only to take the loss with the 3 runs in the seventh all being unearned. Lively also earned the win on the mound, pitching 2 innings and allowing one earned run in relief of senior starter Christian Kaiser, who allowed 2 earned over 5. Sophomore center fielder Alex Donnelly was 1-for-3 with a double and two runs scored, including the game winner in the Kangs' last at bat. Third baseman Alex Reynolds drove in two runs and Gene Watson was 1-for-3 with a double for Bothell, who fell into third place with their fourth straight defeat.
- Ballard 4, Roosevelt 2 (8 inn.) - The Beavers scored two runs in the top of the eighth to break a 2-2 tie and snap a 10-game losing streak, topping Roosevelt 4-2. Ballard won the ball game despite being outhit in the contest, 5-3. For Roosevelt, Tom Nielson was 2-for-4 with an RBI and Mark Sugiyama went the distance on just 99 pitches, ending up the tough luck loser.
The four playoff teams in each division are now set (KingCo 4A standings), with seeding being the only thing left to determine. Friday brings three big games to determine playoff placement; in the Crest Division, Redmond travels to Skyline looking to lock up the #1 seed, while Issaquah hosts Newport in a battle for third place. Over in the Crown Division, first place Lake Washington can clinch the division title outright when they travel to Woodinville for a 7:00 pm start.
