Issy's Rogers Tosses No-Hitter

On the second-to-last full day of KingCo action, many story lines emerged, including a no-hitter in the most hyped game of the day.

Crest Division

• Issaquah 11, Newport 0 - In Friday's top ticket game, Issaquah senior Spencer Rogers tossed a six-inning no hitter, blanking Newport 11-0. The Eagles dominated the Knights late in a battle for Crest Division supremacy, scoring 4 times in the 5th and another 5 times in the sixth. Rogers allowed just 3 walks while striking out 7 in the KingCo's second no-hitter of the season (Newport's Cole Wiper had the first). He also helped his team's cause at the plate, continuing his torrid pace going 3-for-4 with 2 doubles, 2 runs scored and an RBI. Fellow senior Shane Yarnell drove in 6 runs, finishing the day 3-for-4 with a home run. Issaquah has a 1 1/2 game lead over Redmond, who can force a division championship game on Tuesday with a win over Eastlake Saturday.
• Redmond 10, Skyline 8 (8 inn.) - The Mustangs kept their division title hopes alive in dramatic fashion, hitting a walk-off two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth to top Skyline, 10-8. Redmond forced extra innings with two runs in the bottom of the seventh. Senior Matt Kimmel picked up the win in relief, tossing two shutout innings. The 'Stangs got multi hit games from Dylan Davis (2-for-3, HR, 3 RBI), Zach Abbruzza (2-for-3, 3 runs) and T.J. Whidby (2-for-3, 2 doubles, RBI). Kimmel and Michael Conforto also homered for Redmond. Jim Sinatro was 2-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI for Skyline, who has secured the #4 seed in the Crest Division
• Garfield 9, Eastlake 8 - In a game that featured 23 hits between the two teams combined, Garfield held off a late Eastlake charge to win, 9-8. The Bulldogs led 9-5 heading into the final frame, but the Wolves clawed back with 3 runs in the bottom of the seventh only to come up short. Senior Jack Jajewski was 3-for-5 with an RBI and two stolen bases, while fellow senior Peter Summerville finished with 2 hits, 2 runs and 2 RBI for Garfield. Eastlake was led by Sam Nasci, who finished the afternoon 3-for-4 with a double, triple and 3 runs scored. Alex Boyce (2-for-3, double, 3 RBI) and Kelby McCorkle (2-for-3, 2 RBI) also had productive days at the plate for the Wolves.
  

Crown Division

• LW 6, Woodinville 4 - The Kangs fought back from a four-run deficit, helping their playoff hopes with a 6-4 win over Woodinville. LW's win combined with Ballard's loss to Bothell appears to have locked up a playoff berth for the Kangs (awaiting confirmation on the tiebreaker procedures). Junior Bob Cruikshank allowed 4 runs (1 earned) over 5 2/3 innings and also was 2-for-3 with a double for Lake Washington, who pulled into a third place tie with the Falcons. Senior first baseman Trevor Dunlap drove in 3 runs with a double and a single, while sophomore Theo Alexander completed an impressive week with 2 hits, 2 runs scored and 2 stolen bases. Woodinville's Jeff Wyner drove in 2 runs with a first inning double, while senior Luke Taylor was 3-for-4 with an RBI.
• Bothell 7, Ballard 6 - A hard fought battle went the way of the Cougars, as they stranded the tying run on third base in their 7-6 win over Ballard. The Beavers had just four hits, but made the most of them, getting the tying run within 90 feet before grounding out to end the game. Dain Gilbert and Gene Watson doubled for Bothell, who locked up the Crown Division #2 seed with the victory. Freshman Rory Graf-Brennan continued his impressive rookie season, going 2-for-4 with a double and 2 RBI for Ballard, who currently sits a game behind Woodinville and LW at 6-9.
• Inglemoor 7, Roosevelt 2 - The Vikings continued their magical season, scoring a 7-2 win over Roosevelt on Friday night. Seniors Marc Dickerson (triple, 3 RBI) and Ethan Yeo (1-for-2, 2 RBI) paced the Inglemoor offense, while junior Dustin Doucette picked four strong innings for the win. A 5-run third inning was all she wrote for the Roughriders, who got hits from Reid Martinez and Colin Noteboom. Inglemoor improved to 13-2 with the win, a full four games ahead of second place Bothell.
  

Friday (4/30) Preview

My apologies for falling behind a bit on the recaps. It's been a busy week! I'll be sure to get caught up over the weekend as we head into crunch time.

First off, here's a quick recap of the results over the past couple days:

Wednesday, 4/28
Bothell 5, LW 3
Inglemoor 10, Woodinvlle 2
Ballard 7, Roosevelt 3
Issaquah 6, Skyline 2

Thursday, 4/29
Newport 6, Garfield 1
LW 14, Roosevelt 8 (continuation of Monday's suspended game)

The current standings reflect that 6 of the 8 playoff spots have been decided, with Bothell the latest team to clinch a spot in the KingCo playoffs, which start Saturday, May 8th. The two playoff spots up for grabs are in the Crown Division, with three teams fighting for two spots. Two of those teams meet up this afternoon at 4:00 pm, when Lake Washington (6-8) hosts Woodinville (7-7) at Lee Johnson Field. The third team still in the running is Ballard (6-8), who travels to Bothell to take on the Cougars (8-6) at 6:00 pm. Ballard and Woodinville meet in the season finale next Tuesday, so meaningful baseball looks like it will be played through the end of the regular season.

In the Crest Division, a battle for supremacy between two long-time rivals takes place this afternoon at Newport as the Knights (10-4) host first place Issaquah (11-3) at 4:00 pm. The game has been designated "Coach Albo Day", a tribute to the long-time Newport head baseball coach Bob Albo. An Eagles win will put them one step closer to a division title, with Redmond (9-4) still alive. The Mustangs take on Issaquah in the season finale on Tuesday. Skyline (7-7) is firmly entrenched as the #4 seed.

Inglemoor Clinches Crown Division

Two of Monday's rainouts were played on Tuesday, with the LW-Roosevelt continuation being postponed until Thursday afternoon.

• Inglemoor 11, Ballard 0 - Senior lefthander Spencer Trautman shutout the Beavers, leading Inglemoor to the Crown Division title with an 11-0 win. Trautman allowed just 2 hits and didn't walk a batter in a five inning complete game. Ethan Yeo homered and drove in two for the Vikings, who will enter the KingCo tournament as the #1 seed out of the Crown. Mitchell Gonsolus and Marc Dickerson each had two hits and two RBI, contributing to Inglemoor's 4-run third and 7-run fourth inning. Freshman Rory Graf-Brennan doubled for Ballard, who fell a 1/2 game behind Lake Washington for the Crown's final playoff spot.
• Bothell 2, Woodinville 0 - Seniors Evan Hudson and Luke Taylor locked up in a classic pitcher's duel, with the Cougars scoring single runs in the fourth and seventh innings to win 2-0. Hudson went the distance, allowing just 4 hits and 3 walks while striking out 7. Michael Marriott and Jason Smith drove in the Bothell runs, helping the Cougs pull into a second place tie with the Falcons at 7-6. Taylor was the tough luck loser, allowing just 2 earned runs over six strong innings. Sophomore T.C. Florentine had two hits, including a seventh inning double for Woodinville.

Crest Plays Monday, Crown Washed Out

Weather played havoc with the Crown Division schedule, postponing two games and leaving a third suspended on Monday. The Crest Division was unaffected however, and saw a new leader emerge following Monday's play.

Crest Division

• Issaquah 11, Eastlake 1 - The Eagles scored five runs in each of the first two innings en route to an 11-1 5-inning win over Eastlake. Shane Yarnell kept his record unblemished, improving to 6-0 in KingCo play and helping Issaquah claim sole possession of first place at 10-3. The senior right hander scattered five hits while striking out 5, allowing just a single run in the fourth inning. Yarnell continued to swing the bat well too, collecting 2 hits and 2 RBI. Spencer Rogers continued his amazing season, finishing the afternoon 3-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI. Connor Hanson drove in the lone run for the Wolves, who lost their ninth straight.
• Skyline 3, Newport 1 - Senior Peyton Harrod made a triumphant return to the Spartan rotation, pitching a complete game in Skyline's 3-1 win over Newport. The start was the first of the season for Harrod, who missed much of the season with an arm injury. He was brilliant on this afternoon, allowing just a run on 3 hits while striking out 5. He was aided offensively by junior Nate Litka, who was 2-for-3 with a home run and 2 runs scored. Trase Tam Sing hit a solo home run for the Knights lone tally. With the loss, Newport fell one game behind Issaquah in the Crest Division.
• Garfield 11, Redmond 8 - The Bulldogs jumped out to an 8-3 lead after four innings and held on, topping Redmond in a slugfest, 11-8. Senior shortstop Jack Jajewski had a huge game, going 3-for-4 with a double, triple and six RBI. Sophomore John Trupin picked up the win and also chipped in with 2 hits and 3 runs scored at the plate. Redmond's juniors Michael Conforto and Dylan Davis each homered in the loss, which left the 'Stangs a game behind Issaquah for the division lead.

Crown Division

• Lake Washington 8, Roosevelt 8 (suspended, top 8th) - In a game played through steady rain and mud, the Roughriders scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh to force extra innings before the umpires stopped the contest. The game will resume on Thursday at 3:45, with the Kangs having runners on first and third with no outs in the top of the 8th inning.

Week 5 KingCo Awards

KingCo 4A Baseball - Players of the Week
Week 5: April 19-24, 2010

Crest Division
Player of the Week: Dylan Davis, Jr., Redmond

Also nominated: Trase Tam Sing, Newport; Spencer Rogers, Issaquah

Pitcher of the Week: Shane Yarnell, Sr., Issaquah

Also nominated: None

Crown Division
Player of the Week: Brian McAfee, Jr., Bothell

Also nominated: None

Pitcher of the Week: Ryan Garrett, Sr., Ballard

Also nominated: Trevor Dunlap, LW

KingCo 4A Playoff Format

The 2010 KingCo playoffs start in less than two weeks on Saturday, 5/8. Here's a quick look at the tournament layout...

Tournament Format / Notes

• The top four teams in the Crown and Crest divisions qualify for the playoffs
• The entire first round will be played on Saturday, 5/8
• All games will be played at Woodinville HS, with the exception of two loser's bracket games on Monday, 5/11 which will be played at Inglemoor HS
• The two teams that win each of their first two games will play in the KingCo championship game on Thursday, 5/13
• The KingCo Champion will automatically qualify for the State tournament
• The KingCo Runner-up will host the Greater St. Helen's League (GSHL) #2 seed on Saturday, 5/15 for a trip to State
• The KingCo #3 seed (determined through the losers bracket) will travel to the GSHL #1 seed on Saturday, 5/15 for the final berth to State
• View the entire tournament bracket here.

First Round Matchups - Saturday, 5/8

• 10:00 am - Crown #3 vs. Crest #2
• 1:00 pm - Crest #4 vs. Crown #1
• 4:00 pm - Crest #3 vs. Crown #2
• 7:00 pm - Crown #4 vs. Crest #1

Playoff Outlook
Four teams have already clinched spots in the KingCo playoffs. In the Crest Division, Redmond, Newport and Issaquah have all locked up berths and are currently tied for first place at 9-3. Skyline needs just one win or a Garfield loss over the next four games to secure the final playoff spot.

Things are a bit more muddled in the Crown Division. Inglemoor is a lock for the playoffs, and has a three-game lead on the top spot at 10-2. Woodinville currently sits in second place at 7-5, with Bothell one game back at 6-6. Ballard and Lake Washington are tied at 5-7 for the final playoff spot. LW currently holds the tiebreaker, having swept the Beavers in the season series. Roosevelt is two games back at 3-9, but has games with the Kangs and Beavers coming up this week and can make a push by winning those two games.

You can view the full KingCo 4A standings here.