A rare dry day in March allowed for a full slate of KingCo action yesterday...
Crest Division - Newport 6, Skyline 4 - The Knights used a six-run fifth inning to crawl back from an early deficit and top their former 3A rival Spartans, 6-4. Sophomore right-hander Cole Wiper struck out four Spartans in the final two frames to close out the first league win for Newport. Junior Trace Tam Sing was 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI for the Knights, while senior Ryan Somers doubled, homered and drove in two for Skyline (1-1).
- Eastlake 8, Issaquah 5 (8 inn.) - The Wolves overcame home runs by Issaquah juniors Spencer Rogers and Shane Yarnell, scoring three runs in the top of the eighth to top their neighbors on the plateau, 8-5. Four Eastlake pitchers combined to hold the Eagles to just four hits on the day, with Joseph Johnson earning the win. Nick Smith and Kelly Rockey each drove in two runs for Eastlake, as both teams evened their record at 1-1.
- Redmond 6, Garfield 2 - Junior Ryan Beliel allowed just one earned run over six innings and senior Nolan Thomas homered as Redmond topped the Bulldogs of Garfield, 6-2. The game was tight into the seventh inning until the Mustangs (1-0) pulled away with four runs in the top half of the frame. Michael Harvey and James Morris-Lent each had two hits for the Bulldogs (0-2).
Crown Division
- Woodinville 5, Bothell 4 - In a hotly contested battle between 1-0 teams, the Falcons plated two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to walk off on the Cougars, 5-4. Bothell jumped out to an early 3-0 lead only to see Woodinville tie the game with two runs in the third and one in the fourth. The Cougs went ahead in the top of the 7th on a sacrifice fly, but the Falcons responded to score twice in the bottom half for the win. Alex Reynolds was 1-3 with 2 RBI for Bothell (1-1), while Woodinville (2-0) was led by seniors Joel Maltos (2-for-3, 2 runs scored) and Sean Murphy (RBI double in the 7th to tie the game).
- Ballard 6, Inglemoor 2 - University of Washington signee Nick Palewicz made his 2009 KingCo debut a good one, pitching deep into the game in the Beavers 6-2 win over the Vikings. Second baseman Connor McClure paced the offense, hitting a two-run homer in the first and a bases clearing double in the second, finishing the day with 5 RBI. The win evened Ballard's record at 1-1, with their pitching allowing just 5 runs in their first two contests. Inglemoor shortstop Sam Johnston homered in a losing effort.
- Lake Washington 2, Roosevelt 0 (8 inn.) - In a game that remained scoreless through regulation, the Kangs broke through with 2 runs in the top of the eighth to sneak by the Roughriders, 2-0. LW's Christian Kaiser and Roosevelt's Stephen Holt held the respective offenses scoreless through the first six innings before giving way to their bullpens. Senior Chris Viltz (3-for-4) had the game-winning hit through a drawn-in infield for the Kangs who improved to 2-0, allowing just 1 unearned run in their first 15 innings of KingCo action. Tommy Neilson had two knocks in four at-bats for Roosevelt (0-2).
On Friday, Newport and Redmond will continue their suspended game make up their rainout from Tuesday with sole possession of first place in the Crest division on the line (UPDATE: KingCo rules call for any game rained out prior to becoming an official game be made up in its entirety). KingCo play then resumes on Monday as the first three-game week of the season kicks off.
Non-league games this weekend include Lake Washington and Inglemoor playing host to West Linn, Oregon. The Kangs get the first crack at the Oregon 6A school on Friday night at 7:00 pm Husky Ballpark (UW), with Inglemoor hosting on Saturday afternoon.
