Friday, April 23, 2010

Playoff Races Heating Up

As we hit the home stretch of the KingCo 4A conference regular season, playoff races are heating up. In the Crest Division, there is a three-way tie for first place. Meanwhile, in the Crown Division, the final spots in the KingCo tournament are up for grabs.

Crest Division

  • Newport 4, Redmond 3 - With the Crest Division lead on the line and Redmond leading 3-1 with 2 outs in the 7th, it looked as if the Mustangs were going to even the season series and take a two-game lead over Newport. Knights senior Trase Tam Sing had other ideas however, smashing a three-run home run off Redmond closer Matt Kimmel to give his team and eventually the game, 4-3. Junior Jared Fisher was the winning pitcher, going the distance allowing 3 runs and 4 hits. The three runs all came off the bat of Redmond junior Dylan Davis, who hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the first and added a solo shot in the 4th. Fellow junior Zach Abbruzza allowed just 1 run in six innings, but did not factor in the decision. Both teams ended the night at 9-3, in a three-way tie with Issaquah for the division lead.
  • Issaquah 8, Garfield 2 - UW-bound senior Spencer Rogers was 3-for-4 with a double and 2 RBI and allowed 2 runs in six innings on the mound as the Eagles cruised to an 8-2 win over Garfield. The win improved Issaquah to 9-3 in league play, including 6 wins in their last 7 KingCo contests. Connor Young was 2-for-3 with a double and 2 runs scored and Devin O'Donnell drove in 2 to help the Eagles in victory. Garfield falls to 2-10 with the loss and is a loss or a Skyline win away from being eliminated from playoff contention.
  • Skyline 3, Eastlake 0 - The Spartans reduced their magic number to 1 to clinch a playoff berth by topping Eastlake on Friday, 3-0. Connor Lawhead and Jayce Nelson combined on the shutout, allowing just 5 hits and striking out 8. Skyline scored single runs in the 2nd, 3rd and 6th innings, with Tyler Neudorfer and Jim Sinatro pacing the offense with 2 hits a piece. Joe Shaffer went the distance in the loss, allowing 3 runs (2 earned) on 7 hits. With the loss, Eastlake was eliminated from playoff contention.

Crown Division
  • Bothell 6, Inglemoor 5 - Junior Brian McAfee scattered 10 hits in a complete game, adding a home run and 2 RBI in Bothell's 6-5 win over Inglemoor. The Vikings jumped out to an early four run lead, but the Cougars responded with a 5-run third. Inglemoor tied the game in the top of the fifth before giving it back up for good in the bottom of the frame. Mitchell Gonsolus homered twice in defeat for the Viks, who lost for just the second time in 12 KingCo games. The win was Bothell's second straight following a 5 game losing streak, giving them a one-game lead over Ballard and Lake Washington for third place in the Crown Division at 6-6.
  • LW 7, Ballard 1 - The Kangs broke a 1-1 tie with a 4-run fifth inning en route to a critical 7-1 win over Ballard on Thursday. Senior Trevor Dunlap pitched his second complete game against Ballard this season, working out of jams in the first three innings before cruising to victory in the final four frames. He ended up allowing just 1 earned run on 8 hits while striking out 3. The win forced a tie for the final playoff spot in the Crown Division, with Lake Washington owning the tiebreaker thanks to a season sweep over the Beavers. LW stole 10 bases in the game, including 6 in the game-changing fifth. Nori Shimizu and Colin Tremblay each drove in 2 runs for the Kangs, while David Doerr and Danny Thompson had 2 hits a piece for Ballard.
  • Roosevelt 6, Woodinville 5 (8 inn.) - Senior Andrew Johnson had 3 hits and 2 RBI for Roosevelt, who topped the Falcons 6-5 in eight innings. The win was the third in four games for the Roughriders, who are making a late-season push towards a possible playoff spot. David Holt picked up the win in relief, allowing two earned runs over the sixth, seventh and eighth innings. Sophomore Spencer Greer took the loss for Woodinville, who dropped to 7-5, one game ahead of Bothell for second place in the Crown division.