Today: 10 a.m. — West Valley vs. South Kitsap Western (loser out). 12:15 p.m. — Issaquah vs. Mill Creek (winner to title round).
Sunday: Noon — Larch Mountain vs. winner West Valley-South Kitsap Western (loser out).
Monday: 5 p.m. — Winner Larch-West Valley/South Kitsap Western vs. loser Issaquah-Mill Creek (winner to title round; loser third place).
While Mill Creek and Issaquah remained in the driver’s seat, Larch Mountain walked its way into the final four of the Washington State 8-10 Little League Baseball Tournament.
The Mountaineers used their trademark pitching and patience to stay alive in the double-elimination tournament with a 5-3 win over Pacwest of Seattle on Friday night at Aberdeen’s Failor Field.
In a contest postponed from Thursday due to time constraints, West Valley of Yakima eliminated North Bothell, 4-3.
Mill Creek and Issaquah earned berths in today’s winners bracket final with lopsided victories Wednesday. Mill Creek thumped Larch Mountain, 13-0. Issaquah walloped South Kitsap Western, 17-3. Both games were shortened to four innings by the 10-run mercy rule.
On Thursday, Pacwest outlasted Sound View of Tacoma in 13 innings, 17-14 (see separate story).
Friday’s victory earned Larch Mountain a day off before facing the winner of today’s West Valley-South Kitsap Western game in another loser-out contest at noon Sunday. The District III champion Mountaineers are guaranteed no worse than a fourth-place finish in the 13-team tournament.
Friday Larch Mountain 5,Pacwest 3
The Mountaineers, who have feasted on bases on balls throughout the tournament, mustered only two hits in this contest. One of those, Will Feltus’ second-inning double, didn’t figure in the scoring.
But Larch Mountain (managed by Aberdeen High grad Phil Sayamnet) parlayed eight walks, several wild pitches and a three Pacwest errors to do sufficient damage. Larch pitchers Austin Gonia, Feltus and Preston Snider, meanwhile, combined on a four-hitter to keep Pacwest at bay.
With Pacwest presumably feeling the effects of its marathon victory Thursday, Larch seemed poised for a decisive victory following a four-run first inning. Gonia’s two-run single to right field was the key blow in the frame, which also included three walks and three errors.
But Pacwest pitchers Layne Bennett and Nick Theesenvitz combined to allow only one more marker (that on two walks and a couple of wild pitches) the rest of the way.
Larch Mountain staff ace Gonia allowed only three hits and struck out four before reaching his 75-pitch limit in the fifth. Pacwest’s Hawke Hansen’s RBI single in that inning cut the margin to two before Feltus worked his way out of a two-on jam.
A pair of walks put the potential tying run aboard and brought Snider to the mound with two outs in the sixth. Feltus, playing shortstop at this juncture, then handled Devin Tep’s grounder and raced to second base for the game-ending forceout.
West Valley 4, North Bothell 3
Stellar relief pitching by Landen Birley highlighted West Valley’s win over North Bothell.
Birley allowed only one hit and struck out eight in 3 2/3 innings before relinquishing his pitching duties with a 4-0 lead after five innings.
North Bothell, however, capitalized on four walks and two hit batters to score three times off a pair of West Valley pitchers in the sixth. Brady Miller was hit by a pitch to force in the third run and load the bases with two outs.
Connor Speer, the fourth West Valley pitcher, roamed to his right to gather in Zach Daniel’s infield fly for the final out.
West Valley received good production from its reserves. Colby Graham, one of the subs, contributed two hits and an RBI, while Arthur Knight also came off the bench to knock in another run.
Daniel mustered both of North Bothell’s hits.
Wednesday Mill Creek 13, Larch Mountain 0
Sam Craig was Larch Mountain’s primary nemesis in this contest. The Mill Creek cleanup batter drove in six runs with an RBI single in the first inning, a bases-clearing double in the second and a two-run double in the third inning.
Drew Pepin added a pair of doubles and four RBIs for the Everett-area club, which has outscored its state opponents, 33-4, in three tourney appearances.
Taydee Evenstar and Feltus each singled to account for Larch Mountain’s two hits.
Issaquah 17, S. Kitsap Western 3
Locked in a 3-3 standoff after 1 1/2 innings, Issaquah scored seven runs apiece in the second and third innings.
South Kitsap Western’s defense decidedly went south in those two frames, as the Port Orchard-based club was conservatively credited with six of its seven errors in those innings.
Jack Babuin doubled and singled while Mason Uchimura and Ernie Whelan added two singles apiece for Issaquah.
