KingCo Playoff Scores

Results from the first day of games:

• Skyline 4, Bothell 1
• LW 11, Issaquah 10
• Newport 9, Woodinville 3
• Redmond 12, Inglemoor 10

More details to come...

First Round Preview

The KingCo tournament kicks off tomorrow, with four first round games on tap. The full day's schedule is listed below with a few quick game notes...

Game 1: 10:00 am - Bothell (10-6, Crown #3) vs. Skyline (11-5, Crest #2)

Notes: Cougars won the first meeting 7-2 behind sophomore left-hander Kevin McShane...Skyline's Adrian Sampson led KingCo 4A in wins (6), strikeouts (55) and was fifth in ERA (2.02)...game features two of the league's top offensive performers - Bothell's Gene Watson led the league in SLG (.769) and was third in batting average (.462) and OBP (.558) while leading the league in runs scored. Skyline's Ryan Somers led KingCo in OBP (.576) and was second in batting average (.468).

Game 2: 1:00 pm - Issaquah (8-8, Crest #4) vs. Lake Washington (12-4, Crown #1)

Notes: Kangs won the April 17th contest 2-1 on a walk-off single in the bottom of the 7th...game was a pitcher's duel between LW's Christian Kaiser and Issy's Shane Yarnell...Kangs led league in runs scored (6.6 per game) and strikeouts (131), while finishing second in ERA (2.31)...Kaiser's 1.75 ERA was good for third in KingCo 4A, striking out 45 batters (2nd)...LW's Folkers finished second in the league in home runs (4) and RBI (18)...Eagles have appeared in the last two state final fours at the 3A level, winning the state championship in 2007...Yarnell tied for third in KingCo 4A with 4 wins and boasts an impressive 38/5 strikeout-to-walk ratio in league play.

Game 3: 4:00 pm - Newport (9-7, Crest #3) vs. Woodinville (10-6, Crown #2)

Notes: Falcons won the first meeting 10-2...Newport comes in winners of four straight league games, six straight overall...win streak includes wins over division rivals Issaquah and Skyline...outscored opponents 36-16 in six game stretch...Falcons averaged 6.1 runs per game in league play and were second in KingCo 4A in OBP (.410)...Senior third baseman Sean Murphy finished tied for second in RBI (18) and runs scored (16)...Woodinville one week removed from an impressive sweep of Bothell, Inglemoor and LW.

Game 4: 7:00 pm - Inglemoor (8-8, Crown #4) vs. Redmond (14-2, Crest #1)

Notes: Mustangs topped Vikings 7-3 in season's only meeting...Redmond has won 10 straight games and led KingCo in ERA (2.03), batting average (.305), OBP (.428), slugging (.496) and HRs (14)...led by sophomores Dylan Davis and Michael Conforto, who tied for the league lead in HRs (5)...Davis also finished second in the league in ERA (1.15)...Mustangs are a league best 32-4 over the past two seasons in league play...Vikings finished second in the league in HRs (9)...shortstop Sam Johnston hit 3 HRs, good for fourth in the league...sophomore Obadiah Taylor tied for third in KingCo with 4 wins and his 2.08 ERA was good for 7th.

Playoff Time!

The final three games of the regular season were played yesterday, finalilzing the seeds for the upcoming KingCo tournament...

Crown Division

• LW 6, Inglemoor 3 - Senior Karl Myers allowed three runs in five innings of work and sophomore Alex Donnelly hit a three-run home run in the fourth inning to help the Kangs clinch the Crown Division title with an 6-3 win over the Vikings on Thursday night. Myers allowed five hits and no walks, striking out six in LW's clincher. Junior Alex Houghton got the final six outs to pick up the save for the Kangs, who will take on Issaquah at 1:00 pm in the first round of the playoffs on Saturday. Senior Trevor McMaster doubled and drove in two for Inglemoor, who will take on top seed Redmond Saturday night at 7:00 pm.
• Ballard 11, Woodinville 2 - No details available...

Crest Division

• Skyline 6, Garfield 5 - The Spartans rallied back from a four-run first inning deficit to win their final game of the season, 6-5 over Garfield. Shawn Ellis, Kris Hedberg and Ryan Somers paced a 10-hit attack, each collecting two hits of their own. Skyline will move into the KingCo playoffs as the Crest Division #2 seed, and will take on Bothell in the tourney's first game at 10:00 am Saturday.

With the regular season in the books, the eight playoff teams move forward to the KingCo tournament, which commences Saturday and will conclude on Thursday night with the KingCo 4A championship game. Be sure to check the blog often to stay current with the playoff results.

The Waiting Game...

Both games remaining that will determine the top two seeds in the Crown Division were once again rained out on Wednesday. They have been rescheduled for today - Woodinville @ Ballard, 3:45; LW @ Inglemoor, 7:00 pm. With the rain letting up, we should know where these teams stand after tonight's contests.

Playoff Picture

With just a few games left to complete the KingCo 4A regular season, we take a look today at the current playoff picture...

In the Crest Division, the seeding is set:
1) Redmond (14-2)
2) Skyline (10-5)
3) Newport (9-7)
4) Issaquah (8-8)

In the Crown Division, the top two seeds are still up for grabs, pending today's results:
1) Lake Washington (11-4) OR Woodinville (10-5)
2) Lake Washington (11-4) OR Woodinville (10-5)
3) Bothell (10-6)
4) Inglemoor (8-7)

Here are the scenarios to determine seeding in the Crown Division:
- If Lake Washington and Woodinville both win, LW is the #1, Woodinville the #2
- If Lake Washington wins and Woodinville loses, LW is the #1, Woodinville the #2
- If Lake Washington loses and Woodinville wins, a coin flip will determine the #1 and #2 seeds
- If Lake Washington and Woodinville both lose, LW is the #1, Woodinville the #2

The KingCo tournament [view bracket] starts this Saturday, May 9th. The first round schedule is as follows (all games at Woodinville HS):

• 10:00 am - Bothell (Crest #3) vs. Skyline (Crest #2)
• 1:00 pm - Issaquah (Crest #4) vs. LW/Woodinville (Crown #1)
• 4:00 pm - Newport (Crest #3) vs. LW/Woodinville (Crown #2)
• 7:00 pm - Redmond (Crest #1) vs. Inglemoor (Crown #4)

Season Finales

Half of yesterday's scheduled season finales were played, with each game having an impact on the final division standings and seedings for the KingCo tournament.

Crest Division

• Redmond 3, Issaquah 2 - Senior Brian Grina's walk-off double in the bottom of the 7th capped a dominant regular season for the Mustangs, as they won their 10th straight game, 3-2 over Issaquah. Redmond finished an impressive 14-2 in KingCo play to earn the top seed in the Crest Division. Spencer Rogers struck out nine in 5 2/3 innings on the mound for the Eagles, who finished the year at 8-8 and will enter the KingCo tournament as the #4 seed from the Crest Division.
• Newport 3, Eastlake 2 - Four Newport pitchers combined on a 3-hitter as Newport completed an impressive turnaround with a 3-2 win over the Wolves on Wednesday afternoon. The Knights were 5-7 through 12 KingCo games, but won their final four contests to finish in sole possession of third place at 9-7 in the Crest Division. Trace Tam Sing was 2-for-4 with a double, home run and 2 runs scored in the win, while Eastlake was paced by Nick Andrews (2-for-3, double) and Nick Smith (HR, 2 RBI). The Wolves' season ends with a final record of 5-11.

Crown Division

• Bothell 5, Roosevelt 4 - The Cougars scored three times in the bottom of the seventh inning for a come-from-behind 5-4 win over Roosevelt in both team's season finale. Bothell trailed 4-2 headed into their final at-bat, but rallied to lock up the #3 seed coming out of the Crown Division. Sophomore Kevin McShane picked up the win in relief, while seniors Tyler Atkinson and Alex Reynolds each had 3 hits. The Cougars finish the regular season at 10-6 and will match up with Skyline in the first round of the playoffs. Andrew Johnson and Spencer Stevenson had two hits each for the Roughriders, who finish the year at 2-14.

The other half of the schedule was rained out, with the following make-ups on tap for Wednesday:

• Lake Washington (11-4) @ Inglemoor (8-7), 7:00 pm
• Woodinville (10-5) @ Ballard (3-12), 3:45 pm
• Garfield (3-12) @ Skyline (10-5), 3:45 pm