Friday (4/3) Wrap

Friday's games featured a couple great pitching performances, another rainout and an improbable finish...

Crest Division

• Redmond 9, Issaquah 4 - Sophomore Dylan Davis, the KingCo pitcher of the week in week 1, carried the Mustangs, going 4-for-4 with two solo home runs and 4 RBI while pitching 5 2/3 solid innings as Redmond improved to 4-0 with a 9-4 win over the Eagles. Redmond, who trailed 2-1 through four innings, broke through with 5 runs in the fifth to seize a lead they would never relinquish. Drew Fosnes and Matt Kimmel each had two hits and 2 RBI for the 'Stangs, who take their unbeaten record into Saturday's showdown with Skyline. Junior outfielder Spencer Rogers hit his KingCo leading third home run in the loss for Issaquah.
• Skyline 6, Garfield 0 - Jared Lemke tossed six shutout innings and Sean Penberthy was 2-for-4 with 3 RBI as the Spartans moved to 3-1 with a 6-0 win over Garfield. Lemke scattered five hits and three walks over his six innings of work, picking up his first KingCo win of the season. Peter Summerville was 2-for-3 for the Bulldogs, who dropped their fifth straight game.
• Newport 5, Eastlake 0 - Sophomore right hander Jared Fisher pitched a gem for the Knights, going the distance in a 2-hit shutout as Newport improved to 3-2 with a 5-0 win over Eastlake. Fisher evened his KingCo record at 1-1, allowing three walks while striking out 5 in the complete game victory. Zach Nasu and Cole Wiper paced the Newport offense, driving in two runs a piece. Eastlake drops to 2-3 in KingCo play with the loss.

Crown Division

• Woodinville 10, Ballard 9 - Woodinville staged an improbable comeback, scoring seven times in the bottom of the seventh inning for an amazing come-from-behind 10-9 victory over Ballard. The Beavers took command of this game in the middle innings, scoring 2 in the fifth and 5 more in the sixth for a 9-2 lead. However, the Falcons showed their resolve battling back in the seventh, eventually winning the game on a wild pitch. Eric Ninomiya was 4-for-4 with 2 runs scored for Woodinville, while Nick Palewicz pitched five solid innings and finished 2-for-3 with 2 RBI for Ballard.
• Bothell 9, Roosevelt 3 - The Cougs jumped out early on the Roughriders, scoring twice in the first and three more times in the third to cruise to a 9-3 win over Roosevelt on Friday. Jordan Kynaston worked five innings, allowing 1 earned run while striking out five to earn the win. Bothell's middle infield combo of Matt Marriott and Kurt Stottlemyer combined to go 4-for-6, with Marriott chipping in a double and a triple and Stottlemyer stealing three bases. Tom Nielson was 2-for-3 with two stolen bases in the loss for Roosevelt.
• Inglemoor @ Lake Washington, ppd. - The game between the Vikings and Kangs was rained out due to poor field conditions at Lee Johnson Field. The game will be made up on Monday at 5:00 pm.

Saturday features four make-up games that were originally scheduled for Wednesday. The headliner is the battle for first place in the Crest Division when 4-0 Redmond plays host to 3-1 Skyline. In the Crown Division, Roosevelt travels to Inglemoor, Bothell hosts Ballard and Woodinville takes on Lake Washington.

Update: Dylan Davis was originally reported to have two solo home runs...however, one of the home runs was a three-run shot.

Rain? What Rain?

Despite Mother Nature's best efforts, two make-up games were played yesterday, both in the Crest Division:

• Eastlake 11, Garfield 10 - The Wolves scored three runs in the bottom half of the seventh to cap a dramatic comeback and walk-off on the Bulldogs, 11-10. Eastlake jumped out quickly, plating three runs in each of the first two innings, only to see Garfield storm back with nine runs of their own in the top of the third. The 'Dogs maintained the lead until the seventh, but couldn't hold off the Wolves late. Eastlake hit an amazing four triples in the game, including two by Nick Andrews, who finished the day 2-for-3 with 3 runs scored and 4 RBI. Jack Jajewski continued his strong play of late, going 2-for-3 with 3 RBI for Garfield.
• Issaquah 6, Newport 1 (6 inn.) - In a contest shortened by rain, Issaquah rode the right arm of junior Shane Yarnell and the bat of senior Dustin Talley to a 6-1 win over rival Newport. Yarnell improved to 2-0 in league play, allowing just 4 hits and a walk while striking out 7 Knights in a complete game victory. Meanwhile, Talley hit solo home runs in the third and fifth innings to pace the Eagles offense. Cole Wiper was 1-for-2 with Newport's lone RBI. Both teams evened their record at 2-2, joining Eastlake in a tie for third place in the Crest division behind Redmond (3-0) and Skyline (2-1).

The four other Wednesday games that were rained out are now scheduled for Saturday afternoon. Friday brings better weather and a full slate of KingCo 4A action.

April Showers...

As the calendar turns to April, the weather pattern remains the same. Rain (and snow!) is sure to be a factor in whether today's games are played or not...

Wednesday 4/1 - Scheduled Games
Roosevelt @ Inglemoor, 7:00 pm
Woodinville @ Lake Washington, 4:00 pm
Ballard @ Bothell, 3:45 pm
Issaquah @ Newport, 4:00 pm
Garfield @ Eastlake, 3:45 pm
Skyline @ Redmond, 6:00 pm

UPDATE - All Wednesday games were rained out. Thursday weather not looking too hot either...

Redmond Alone at 3-0

Two more unbeatens fall on Monday in yet another example of league parody. Through three games, last year's regular season champion Redmond Mustangs are the only remaining team yet to suffer a defeat.

A quick review of Monday's results...

Crest Division

• Redmond 5, Eastlake 2 - The Mustangs used a twelve-hit attack and solid pitching from Mac Acker, Zach Abbruzza and Dylan Davis to top the Wolves 5-2 and remain unbeaten atop the Crest division. Shortstop Brian Grina had a big night, going 4-for-4 with a home run and 3 RBI and Josh Bircher chipped in with three hits of his own. Matt Dusche of Eastlake (1-2) had two of his team's three hits.


• Skyline 8, Issaquah 1 - Junior right-hander Adrian Sampson was the story, punching out 10 Eagles in his 6 innings of work to lead the Spartans to an 8-1 win over their rivals on the plateau. William Chandler led Skyline's offensive attack, finishing the day 2-for-3 with a triple and 3 RBI, while Jacob Shannon drove in two runs of his own. KingCo Crest Division player of the week Spencer Rogers had two hits and drove in the lone run for Issaquah, which dropped to 1-2 on the season.


• Newport 9, Garfield 2 - The Knights pulled away late, scoring 2 runs in the fifth inning and three more in the sixth en route to the 9-2 win over the Bulldogs at Bobby Morris Field. Brandon Andreini went the distance for Newport, scattering 7 hits allowing just two earned runs in the first. Cole Wiper was 2-for-3 with 3 RBI and Zach Nasu finished a perfect 3-for-3 with a double and two runs scored for Newport, who bounced back from Friday's defeat to improve to 2-1. Jack Jajewski had three hits including a double for Garfield, who fell to 0-3.

Crown Division

• Ballard 14, Roosevelt 1 - The Beavers improved to 2-1 on the season, putting the Roughriders away early with a 9-run second inning and a 4-run third. Jason Bergerson and Danny Thomson each homered and drove in three for Ballard, while Dylan Murphy chipped in with 3 hits and 3 RBI of his own. Jimmy Pugel had his second straight strong outing, striking out 8 over his four innings of work. Jeff Chaney and Colin Gipner had two of Roosevelt's three hits on the day, as the 'Riders dropped their third straight.


• Bothell 8, Lake Washington 5 - Bothell took advantage of 4 Kang errors in a 7-run fourth inning and held on late for the 8-5 win. Junior Evan Hudson cruised early before tiring in the fifth, not allowing a hit in his 4 2/3 innings of work while striking out 4. He gave way to Kevin McShane and Tyler Atkinson, who kept LW in check over the final 2 1/3 to preserve the win. Gene Watson was 2-3 with a double, two runs scored and two RBI for the Cougs, while Chris Viltz had LW's only hit, a three-run double in their five-run fifth inning.


• Inglemoor 12, Woodinville 4 - The Vikings picked up their first KingCo win of the season, downing the previously unbeaten Falcons, 12-4. Shortstop Sam Johnston hit his second home run in as many games, and designated hitter Ethan Yeo had two doubles for Inglemoor, who picked up the win behind junior left-hander Spencer Trautman. Connor Jones took the loss for Woodinville, who travels to Lee Johnson Field to take on the Kangs on Wednesday afternoon.

While Redmond sits alone atop the Crest Division at 3-0, the Crown Division has four teams (Ballard, Bothell, Lake Washington, Woodinville) tied for first place at 2-1. All four teams match up against each other on Wednesday...

Week 1 KingCo 4A Players of the Week

Each week, a player and pitcher of the week will be named for both the Crest and Crown divisions. This award is based on nominations by each team's coach and a voting committee consisting of three KingCo 4A head coaches.

KingCo 4A Baseball - Players of the Week
Week 1: March 22 - 28, 2009

Crest Division
Player of the Week: Spencer Rogers, Jr., Issaquah
Rogers, a junior outfielder for the Eagles who was a first-team All-KingCo 3A outfielder in 2008, is this week's Crest Division player of the week. Rogers homered in a win against Garfield, and homered again in Issaquah's extra inning loss to Eastlake. He finished the week 2-for-5 with 2 home runs and 4 RBI.

Also nominated: None

Pitcher of the Week: Dylan Davis, Soph., Redmond
Davis, a sophomore right handed pitcher, is this week's Crest Division pitcher of the week. In his first KingCo start, Davis kept Newport's offense in check, allowing a run on just one hit over his five innings of work. He walked just one Knight batter while striking out 7 in earning his first KingCo win.

Also nominated: None


Crown Division
Player of the Week: Connor McClure, Sr., Ballard
McClure, the senior second baseman for the Beavers, is this week's Crown Division player of the week. He started his season going 2-for-3 with a stolen base against Lake Washington and followed that up with a monster day against Inglemoor, driving in 5 on a two-run homer in the first and a bases-clearing double in the second. McClure finished the week 5-for-7 with a double, home run and 5 RBI.

Also nominated: Sean Murphy, Woodinville

Pitcher of the Week: Nick Palewicz, Sr., Ballard
Palewicz, a senior right handed pitcher heading for the University of Washington in the fall, is this week's Crown Division pitcher of the week, joining his teammate Connor McClure in receiving the weekly honors. He held Inglemoor in check on Thursday night, allowing just one run on a solo home run over five innings of work, striking out 5 en route to picking up the win for the Beavers.

Also nominated: Stephen Holt, Roosevelt; Blake Lively, LW; Christian Kaiser, LW

Week 1 Recap, Week 2 Preview

Week 1 in the KingCo 4A baseball conference showed just how tough the conference should be from top to bottom in 2009. Six of the league's twelve teams finished the week at 1-1 and seven of the twelve games played last week were decided by three runs or less. Of those seven games, three took extra innings to determine a winner.

Three teams remain unbeaten after two games. Redmond sits alone atop the Crest Division thanks to a 6-2 win over Garfield and a 9-1 win over Newport. In the Crown Division, Woodinville and Lake Washington took different routes to the same result. The Falcons used a potent offensive attack, scoring 19 runs in their two wins over Roosevelt and Bothell. Meanwhile, the Kangs allowed just one unearned run over 15 innings against Ballard and Roosevelt on their path to 2-0.

Week 2 is the first three game week, with game days on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Redmond will run the plateau gauntlet, hosting Eastlake and Skyline before heading to Issaquah to take on the Eagles on Friday. Lake Washington faces all three Northshore school district teams this week, traveling to Bothell on Monday followed by home dates with Woodinville and Inglemoor on Wednesday and Friday respectively. Many other rivalries are renewed this week in the last week of divisional play before the teams spend two weeks playing crossover (out-of-division) games.

Friday (3/27) Make-up

The lone KingCo game remaining in week 1 was played at Hartman Park on Friday:

• Redmond 9, Newport 1 - In a game for sole possession of first place in the Crest Division, the Mustangs rode a couple of rookies to a 9-1 win over the Knights. Sophomore Dylan Davis allowed just a single hit over five innings of work, striking out eight and fellow soph Michael Conforto broke open a tight game with a fifth inning grand slam as Redmond joined Woodinville and Lake Washington as the only unbeaten teams through the first week of league action.

In non-league action, Lake Washington played host to West Linn, Oregon at Husky Ballpark and picked up a 5-3 win.

Thursday (3/26) Wrap

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.

Opening Day, Part II

A couple of games were played yesterday that were postponed on the real KingCo 4A opening day...

• Lake Washington 3, Ballard 1 - Good ol' fashioned pitcher's duel to start the season between Ballard senior Jimmy Pugel and Lake Washington senior Tyler Staudacher. The Kangs got RBIs from seniors Christian Kaiser and Alex Ross in a 2-run fourth to break a 1-1 tie and pick up the opening day win. Senior Eric Folkers homered for LW and senior Blake Lively struck out the final six hitters of the game for the save. For Ballard, Connor McClure had two hits and a stolen base, while Pugel struck out 5 Kangs in his five innings of work. [ Box Score ]
  


• Woodinville 14, Roosevelt 4 - Woodinville used a six-run first inning to run away from the Roughriders in their opener. Senior Shawn Murphy had three hits and drove in five while junior Dan McMillan chipped in with three hits of his own for the Falcons, who host Bothell in a matchup of 1-0 teams tonight at 7:00 pm. [ Box Score ]

Tonight's hot ticket games are the aforementioned Bothell-Woodinville clash as well as a battle of two KingCo 3A teams from a year ago when Skyline travels to Newport. Rounding out the schedule:

• Ballard @ Inglemoor, 7:00 pm
• Lake Washington @ Roosevelt, 3:45
• Redmond @ Garfield, 3:45
• Eastlake @ Issaquah, 3:45
  

KingCo Opening Day

Some teams were lucky with the raindrops, while others were not...

Results from 3/24
Bothell 4, Inglemoor 3 (8 inn.)
Issaquah 6, Garfield 1
Skyline 3, Eastlake 2
Newport 4, Redmond 2 (suspended in 2nd inning)
Ballard @ Lake Washington, ppd. rain
Woodinville @ Roosevelt, ppd. rain

Ballard @ LW is rescheduled for Wed, 3/25 @ Bothell HS at 6:30 pm. Woodinville @ Roosevelt reschedule is pending...