Two More KingCo Teams Punch Tickets to State

Issaquah and Inglemoor became the third and fourth teams from the KingCo 4A conference to qualify for state on Saturday, joining Newport and Lake Washington in the 16-team tournament which begins next Saturday. The Vikings topped Heritage (Vancouver) 9-4 while Issaquah outslugged Kelso, 12-8.

Details to follow...

LW Wins KingCo Title

[ KingCo Tournament Bracket ]

KingCo 4A play wrapped up for the 2009 season on Thursday, with the championship and third place games being played at Woodinville HS...

KingCo Championship
Lake Washington 9, Newport 2 - The Kangs scored four runs in the fourth and tacked on three more in the fifth to break open a close game and win the KingCo 4A Championship, 9-2 over Newport. Right hander Christian Kaiser went the distance to improve to 6-0, surrendering just 4 hits and 2 runs (1 earned) on the night. LW is now 9-0 in games where Kaiser has started on the mound. Lake Washington used the running game to spark their offense, stealing eight bags on the night including three by John Shimabukuro and two each for Andy Moore and Blake Lively. Zach Nasu and Andrew West drove in the two Knight runs on the evening, while Eric Folkers and Alex Ross each had two RBI for the Kangs.

Lake Washington enters the state tournament as District 2/4's top seed and will travel to Kent Memorial to take on the #4 seed from District 3 (Narrows/SPSL leagues). Their opponent will be determined on Saturday, as Tahoma, Gig Harbor, Central Kitsap and Curtis will fight for two spots in the state tournament. Meanwhile, Newport gets the #3 seed from District 2/4 and will take on the winner of Saturday's 11:00 am game at Heidelberg Field (Tacoma) between Olympia and Kentwood.

Third Place Game
Inglemoor 12, Issaquah 9 - The Vikings responded to an Eagle five-run first inning, coming from behind to take third place in KingCo 4A with a 12-9 win over Issaquah. The Eagles jumped out to an 8-3 lead, but were outscored 9-1 from the fourth inning on. Inglemoor center fielder Marc Dickerson led the charge, going 3-for-3 with a double, home run and 4 RBI. First baseman Erick Raynes remained on a tear, picking up 3 hits and 2 RBI, while shortstop Sam Johnston doubled and homered for the Viks. Devin O'Donnell and Brennan Miller had three hits a piece for Issaquah, who finishes fourth with the loss. The two teams go into Saturday's bi-district games with red hot bats. The Eagles put up an amazing 47 runs in their four playoff games, while the Vikings scored 43, including putting up double-digits in each contest.

Speaking of the bi-district, winner-to-state games, Saturday's schedule is as follows:

• Heritage (GSHL #2) @ Inglemoor (KingCo #3), 12:00 pm - winner is Dist 2/4 #4
• Issaquah (KingCo #4) @ Kelso (GSHL #1), 12:00 pm - winner is Dist 2/4 #2

Championship Thursday

Thursday brings the culmination of the KingCo 4A baseball season, with the third place and championship games on tap for tonight. The fight for third place is first, with Inglemoor and Issaquah squaring off at 4:00 pm. That game will immediately be followed by the KingCo Championship game between Newport and Lake Washington. Both games are at Woodinville HS and are on as scheduled as of 2:30 pm.

Check back tomorrow for a full recap of the final day's games, as well as a look ahead to Saturday's bi-district winner-to-state games.

Final Four is Set

Offense was the theme in Tuesday's KingCo tournament elimination games, as 35 combined runs were scored between the four teams...

• Issaquah 13, Redmond 7 - The Eagles' offensive onslaught continued, as they scored double-digit runs for the third straight playoff contest, eliminating the top seed Mustangs with a 13-7 win. Shortstop Michael Dixon was 3-for-3 with a double, 3 runs scored and 3 RBI and catcher Devin O'Donnell doubled, tripled and drove in four for Issaquah, who scored four runs in the top of the first and never looked back. They have scored 38 runs on 45 hits in their three tournament games. Redmond was led once again by super sophomore Michael Conforto, who was 3-for-4 with a home run and 3 RBI. Second baseman Josh Bircher finished the afternoon 2-for-3 with 2 runs scored and 2 RBI for the 'Stangs, whose great season comes to an end with a record of 18-5.
• Inglemoor 11, Skyline 4 - Senior first baseman Erick Raynes had a grand slam and a two-run homer in his first two at bats as the Vikings jumped out early and cruised to an 11-4 win over Skyline. Inglemoor scored 11 times in their first four at bats, led by the two big blasts. Senior Austin Hueter was the winning pitcher, allowing 5 hits and a run over 5 innings of work. Inglemoor advances to Thursday's third place game, where they will take on Issaquah at 4:00 pm at Woodinville HS. Meanwhile, Skyline, who was the #2 seed from the Crest Division, finishes their year at 15-8.

The stage is now set for the final day of the KingCo 4A baseball tournament. Thursday features a double-header, with the opener being the third place game between Inglemoor (13-10, Crown #4) and Issaquah (12-10, Crest #4). The winner of that game will host the loser of the Greater St. Helen's League championship game (Kelso vs. Heritage) on Saturday at 2:00 pm for a trip to state. Meanwhile, the loser of Thursday's third place game will travel to Vancouver on Saturday to play the GSHL champion, also with a state berth on the line.

In the night cap, the Newport Knights (14-8, Crest #3) take on the Lake Washington Kangs (17-5, Crown #1) with the KingCo championship on the line. The first meeting between the two clubs saw LW top the Knights, 10-5. However, as this tournament has already proven, you can throw the regular season results out the window, as three of the top four seeds have been eliminated. Newport comes in riding an eight-game win streak, while the Kangs have won 10 of their last 12 ball games. Game time is scheduled for 7:00 pm - BE THERE!

Elimination Games on Tap

The KingCo 4A baseball tournament continues today at Woodinville HS with two loser out games:

• Issaquah (Crest #4) vs. Redmond (Crest #1), 4:00 pm
• Inglemoor (Crown #4) vs. Skyline (Crest #2), 7:00 pm

The winners of today's games will meet on Thursday in a seeding game to determine who will host and who will travel for the district play-in games with the Greater St. Helen's League. The losers will have their season's come to an end. Check the Kingco Baseball Twitter for game updates as they become available.

Newport, LW Advance to Title Game

Two teams clinched a spot in the KingCo championship game while two others saw their season end on Monday...

Winners Bracket

• Lake Washington 7, Skyline 0 - Senior left-hander Tyler Staudacher tossed a four-hit shutout and shortstop Alex Potts homered and drove in 2 as the Kangs advanced to the conference championship game with a 7-0 blanking of Skyline. LW scored single runs in the second, third, fourth and fifth innings, completing the scoring with a three spot in the sixth. Meanwhile, Staudacher scattered 4 hits and 2 walks in the complete game, striking out 5 in the process. Christian Kaiser chipped in offensively, finishing the afternoon 3-for-4 with 2 RBI for the Kangs, who secured a state tournament berth and advanced to Thursday's KingCo title game. Jacob Shannon had two of the four hits in the loss for Skyline, who will take on Inglemoor in a loser out game on Tuesday night.
• Newport 4, Redmond 0 - Not to be outdone by Staudacher's performance, Knights lefty Colin Hering tossed the second shutout of the day, holding the vaunted Redmond offense to just 3 hits while striking out 10 in a 4-0 Newport win. The win was the eighth straight for Newport, while the loss snapped the Mustangs' 11-game win streak. Knights catcher Dan Altchech finished the night 3-for-4 with a solo home run, while Redmond second baseman Josh Bircher had two of the 'Stangs three hits on the night. Newport and LW will face off in the KingCo championship game, while Redmond will look to bounce back against Issaquah on Tuesday afternoon.

Losers Bracket

• Issaquah 15, Bothell 5 - The Eagles scored early and often in this one, putting up 10 runs in the first three innings en route to a convincing 15-5 win over Bothell. Issaquah put on an offensive clinic, stroking 18 hits, including 5 doubles, three triples and home runs by senior Miles Perkins and junior Spencer Rogers. Perkins, fresh off a 5 RBi performance on Saturday, finished the night 4-for-4 with two doubles, a home run and 4 RBI, while Rogers also doubled twice and homered, driving in 3. Third baseman Alex Reynolds was the lone bright spot for Bothell, collecting 3 hits and driving home 4 of the five Cougar runs. Issaquah moves on to another loser out game on Tuesday against Redmond, while Bothell sees its season end, finishing up with a record of 13-9.
• Inglemoor 10, Woodinville 2 - Inglemoor kept its season alive with a valiant effort by sophomore Obadiah Taylor, topping Woodinville 10-2 in the loser's bracket 7:00 game. Taylor pitched well despite an ankle injury which prevented him from going in the Vikings' playoff opener. He was helped by an offensive attack which put 10 runs on the board against a few different Falcons pitchers. The Vikings will face elimination once more on Tuesday night, when they take on Skyline for the right to advance to a district play-in game with the Greater St. Helens League. Woodinville's season ends at 13-9.

Tuesday's loser out games feature Issaquah and Redmond facing off at 4:00 pm with Inglemoor-Skyline scheduled for 7:00 pm. Both games will be played at Woodinville HS, with the winners advancing to a seeding game on Thursday at 4:00 prior to the KingCo title game at 7:00 pm between Newport and Lake Washington.

Following the Other 4A Conference Tourneys

For those interested in following the other 4A conference/district tournaments from around the state, I've compiled some links below to help:

Greater St. Helen's League
Scores: http://www.columbian.com/section/sports
- The Greater St. Helen's League (GSHL) tournament is of particular interest for the KingCo teams, as the #1 and #2 qualifiers out of the GSHL will take on the #3 and #4 KingCo qualifiers for the district's final two state berths. KingCo #3 will host GSHL #2 while KingCo #4 will travel to GSHL #1 - both games are on Saturday, May 16th.

Narrows/SPSL
Bracket: http://www.southkitsapwolves.com/2009_WCD_4A_baseball_tournament.html
- The Narrows/SPSL district tournament is also of interest, as KingCo teams can only match up with teams from this district in the first round of the WIAA 4A state tournament.

Wesco
Bracket: http://wiaa.com/dist1/Spring4AInfo/094ABaseball.xls

Big Nine
Scores: http://www.tri-cityherald.com/1238

Greater Spokane League
Scores: http://www.spokesmanreview.com/sports/preps/hardball/listgames.asp?gender=boys
Bracket: http://www.greaterspokaneleague.org/upload_content/docs/2009%204A%20Baseball%20District%20_44.xls

WIAA - 4A State Tournament Bracket
http://www.wiaa.com/brackets/BaseSoc16.aspx?s=Baseball&c=4A&y=2009
- The KingCo/GSHL representatives in the state tournament will be determined as follows:

• Dist 2/4 #1 - KingCo #1
• Dist 2/4 #2 - winner of GSHL #1 and KingCo #4
• Dist 2/4 #3 - KingCo #2
• Dist 2/4 #4 - winner of GSHL #2 and KingCo #3

Round 2 Previews

Day 2 of the KingCo 4A baseball tournament is today, with four games at two different sites. Two of the four possible state participants in the conference will be determined today, as the two teams who win the winner's bracket contests will advance to Thursday's KingCo Championship game and earn an automatic berth to the 4A state tournament.

Winner's Bracket (games at Woodinville HS)
Skyline (Crest #2) vs. Lake Washington (Crown #1), 4:00 pm
The #8 and #10 ranked teams in the state get together in the first game of the winner's bracket doubleheader when the Kangs and Spartans hook up. Skyline was victorious in the first meeting between the teams this season, topping LW 3-2 in early April behind the pitching of senior southpaw Blake Fulghum. The Kangs are 9-2 since that game and look to avenge their defeat this afternoon at 4:00 pm. Skyline won their opener 4-1 over Bothell, using strong pitching from junior right hander Adrian Sampson and a clutch three-run home run by Sean Penberthy. Meanwhile, Lake Washington advanced with a six-run bottom of the seventh inning, beating Issaquah 11-10 on Saturday afternoon.

Newport (Crest #3) vs. Redmond (Crest #1), 7:00 pm
The league's two hottest teams face off with a berth in the KingCo championship on the line as Newport takes on Redmond. The Knights come in winners of five straight league games and seven straight overall and are fresh off an impressive 9-3 win over the Crown Division #2 seed Woodinville Falcons. Senior Brandon Andreini went the distance to pick up the win for the Knights, allowing 3 runs on 5 hits while striking out 7. They take on the top-seeded and 2nd ranked Mustangs, who won their final 10 regular season games and extended their streak to 11 with a 12-10 win over Inglemoor on Saturday night. Redmond sports an 18-3 overall record, including a regular season sweep over Newport.

Loser's Bracket (games at Inglemoor HS)
Issaquah (Crest #4) vs. Bothell (Crown #3), 4:00 pm
In the first of two loser-out games, the Eagles and Cougars square off at Inglemoor HS at 4:00 pm. Both teams are coming off defeats in games where the outcomes were in doubt late into the contest. Bothell lost on a late home run, while the Eagles lost in their opponent's final at bat. The first meeting between the teams was an extra inning affair won by Bothell, 5-4.

Inglemoor (Crown #4) vs. Woodinville (Crown #2)
Two long time divisional rivals hook up in the second of two loser-out games when the Vikings take on the Falcons. The teams split the regular season series, with Woodinville winning the final matchup in a pitcher's duel, 2-1. Both teams are riding two game losing streaks following their first round defeats, facing the task of snapping those streaks or ending their season.

First Round Recaps

Recapping a busy first day of the KingCo 4A baseball tournament...

• Skyline 4, Bothell 1 - Sean Penberthy's three-run home run broke a 1-1 tie in the bottom of the sixth and sent the Spartans to the semifinals with a 4-1 win over Bothell. The game was a pitcher's duel between two of the top junior arms in the league, with Skyline's Adrian Sampson and Bothell's Evan Hudson allowing just a single run through five innings. Sampson slammed the door after the clutch home run and picked up the win, going the distance allowing just 4 hits and a walk while striking out 5.
• LW 11, Issaquah 10 - The Kangs scored six times in the bottom of the seventh inning, overcoming a 10-5 deficit and moving on to the second round with an 11-10 win. Following the pitcher's duel in the tourney opener, this game was anything but, with the two teams combining for 29 hits on the afternoon. The winning run scored on an RBI single by Christian Kaiser, his fourth hit of the day. Eric Folkers was 4-for-4 with two doubles and 3 RBI and Chris Viltz was 3-for-4 with 2 doubles and 2 RBI for the Kangs, who will take on Skyline Monday for the right to advance to the KingCo championship game. Brennan Miller and Dustin Talley had three hits a piece for Issy and Miles Perkins was 2-for-4 with 5 RBI, including a majestic three-run home run to left-center field in the fifth inning. Issaquah will face Bothell on Monday in a loser out game.
• Newport 9, Woodinville 3 - The Knights scored six runs in a decisive fifth inning, coming back from an early deficit to top the Falcons 9-3. Right hander Brandon Andreini surrendered 3 runs on 5 hits in a complete game victory, which extended Newport's win streak to 5 KingCo games (7 overall). Brad Binder was 3-for-4 with an RBI and 3 runs scored, and Colin Hering scored twice and drove in two, as the Knights secured a spot in the semis. Matt Stefansson homered and Sean Murphy doubled and drove in a run for Woodinville in a losing effort.
• Redmond 12, Inglemoor 10 - The night cap was another slugfest, with the top seed Mustangs coming out on top of the fourth seeded Vikings, 12-10. Redmond scored early and often in this one, jumping out to an 11-3 lead after five. Inglemoor made things interesting late, scoring three times in the sixth and plating four more in the seventh, with Jordan Siu's three-run home run to right-center field capping the scoring. Michael Conforto homered for the 'Stangs, who ran their win streak to 11 games and will take on Newport in the other semifinal game. Inglemoor will take on Northshore rival Woodinville in a loser out contest Monday night.

So, after an exciting day of baseball, the KingCo 4A final four is set. Monday's schedule is listed below - winner's bracket games will be played at Woodinville HS, with the loser's bracket games at Inglemoor HS:

Winner's Bracket (winners to KingCo Championship)

• Skyline (Crest #2) vs. Lake Washington (Crown #1), 4:00 pm
• Newport (Crest #3) vs. Redmond (Crest #1), 7:00 pm

Loser's Bracket (loser out games)

• Issaquah (Crest #4) vs. Bothell (Crown #2), 4:00 pm
• Inglemoor (Crown #4) vs. Woodinville (Crown #2), 7:00 pm