Tuesday’s Schedule: 5 p.m. — PacWest vs. Sedro Woolley (loser out). 7:15 p.m. — Walla Walla vs. Soundview (loser out).
Wednesday’s Schedule: 5 p.m. — Issaquah vs. South Kitsap Western. 7:15 p.m. — Mill Creek vs. Larch Mountain.
The second day of the Washington State 8-10 Little League Baseball Tournament was the same as the first one for Larch Mountain — its patience at the plate and impatience on the basepaths paid off.
Larch Mountain parlayed a bushel of passed balls, wild pitches and walks from North Bothell’s pitchers with just enough key big hits to capitalize on the chances to run away with a 17-5, four-inning victory at Failor Field in Aberdeen on Sunday afternoon.
The Mountaineers, the District III champions and the de facto home tournament team, will take on Mill Creek in a winner’s bracket semifinal game on Wednesday night. Mill Creek outlasted Hazel Dell, 9-4, in another key winner’s bracket game earlier in the day.
Issaquah and South Kitsap Western are the other two winner’s bracket semifinalists after Sunday’s games. Issaquah routed Walla Walla, 17-0, in four innings, while South Kitsap Western edged Sedro Woolley, 8-7. In the first loser-out contest of the tournament, Soundview knocked off West Plains, 13-8.
On Saturday, Larch Mountain finished the first day of the tournament with an 8-4 win over Pac West, of Seattle. Larch Mountain took advantage of a gaggle of walks and passed balls/wild pitches to win. Issaquah edged West Valley of Yakima, 8-7, Sedro Woolley upended Camas, 6-5, Mill Creek trounced Soundview of Tacoma,11-0, and Hazel Dell crushed West Plains of Spokane, 24-0, in other first-round contests.
A full write-up of Saturday’s games is online at www.thedailyworld.com/sports.
Larch Mountain 17, North Bothell 5
A patient approach at the plate paid off well for Larch Mountain, forcing 11 walks from North Bothell’s four pitchers in this four-inning, mercy rule contest.
Along with the walks, North Bothell’s pitchers were unable to maintain enough control of their pitches to keep the Mountaineers from running the basepaths with impunity — seven of Larch Mountain’s runs came on either a wild pitch or a passed ball. Combined with the walks, Larch Mountain didn’t need the big hits that came along anyway.
Leading 5-3 after two innings, with a four-run second inning that saw three passed ball runs score and an RBI single from Will Feltus, the Mountaineers pressed their advantage in the third. Against relief pitchers Zach Daniel and Jacob Zbeigen, Larch Mountain sent 10 batters to the plate in the frame.
Larch Mountain only had two hits in the third, but both of them were big. Austin Gonia’s RBI single kept the bases loaded with one out to usher Michael Vasser’s three-run double to left-center field for an 10-3 lead. Vasser scored on a passed ball for an 11-3 score to end the third.
In the fourth, the Mountaineers sent 10 batters to the plate again and used big hits to move runners on base on walks. Carson Rotter’s RBI single kept the bases loaded and Chris Butcher copied Vasser’s feat — a bases-loaded clearing double to left-center field — for a 15-3 lead. Vasser followed with an RBI triple and he scored his team’s final run on a wild pitch.
Feltus was the starting pitcher who enjoyed the offensive support on the mound for Larch Mountain. Feltus went the full pitch limit, lasting three-plus innings before leaving after one batter in the fourth inning. In the second inning, North Bothell got to Feltus with a three-run frame, paced by an RBI single from Daniel and a two-run single by Dominic Wilson.
After Feltus left, North Bothell threatened against relief pitcher Rotter. Trae Silva hit a two-run home run, then North Bothell loaded the bases with no outs. Rotter ended the threat with two strikeouts and a groundout to end the game.
Feltus struck out four and walked four for the win, holding North Bothell to three hits in his three-plus innings of work.
Mill Creek 9, Hazel Dell 4
In a battle between two perennial state Little League powers, Mill Creek won the battle at the plate.
Sam Craig went 4 2/3 innings for Mill Creek, scattered six hits and never allowed Hazel Dell to muster a sustained offensive rally to punch the Everett-area squad into the semifinals. At the plate, Mill Creek outlasted Hazel Dell with a late rally and Craig had a big hand in it.
Hazel Dell starter Brooks Greenwald was hit for five runs in 1 2/3 innings, including a four-run second inning, before leaving with an arm injury. Dylan Goetz took over for Greenwald and closed out the inning, but not before a 5-2 deficit. Goetz shut down Mill Creek until the sixth inning when Craig’s three-run home run over the center-field fence highlighted a four-run frame to provide plenty of insurance runs.
Goetz’s two-run home run in the first gave Hazel Dell a 2-1 lead. Craig finished with three hits, including an RBI double and five runs batted in total, for Mill Creek. Lou Berg and Drew Pepin each had two hits, including a double and an RBI each, for Mill Creek.
Issaquah 17, Walla Walla 0
Issaquah pushed 20 batters to the plate in the third inning and scored 15 runs to knock Walla Walla into the loser-out bracket on Sunday morning.
Hudson Carvalho struck out eight and gave up just one hit on the mound for Issaquah. Jack Babwin had a three-run triple, with Ryam Bame and Jacob Swenson each adding two hits — Bame drove in three runs and Swenson two runs.
South Kitsap Western 8, Sedro Woolley 7
Down by two entering the sixth inning, Sedro Woolley got a lead-off solo home run from Sherman Griffin to cut the deficit to one and got the tying run to third base with two outs. However, the Westerners stranded him to advance into the semifinals.
Carson Puryear struck out 13 for the win for South Kitsap Western on the mound. Jacob Martin took the loss for Sedro Woolley with eight strikeouts and three walks. Alex Folden’s RBI single in the fifth inning proved to be the insurance run for the Westerners.
