Aberdeen’s baseball and boys soccer teams advanced in their respective district tournaments with victories Tuesday.
PREP BASEBALL
Aberdeen 7, Centralia 0
What can Brown do for you?
For the Aberdeen Bobcats, Brown can pitch a complete-game shutout in thus far the biggest game of the season.
Aberdeen senior right-hander Eli Brown tossed a three-hitter in leading the Bobcats to a 7-0 victory over Centralia in a 2A District 4 Tournament game Tuesday in Centralia.
Brown shut down a Centralia offense that defeated the Bobcats 11-0 back on April 16 and had scored 10 or more runs in five of its eight wins this season.
The Bobcats ace looked the part Tuesday, allowing no runs on three hits with three walks and six strikeouts, while consistently hitting the strike zone, throwing first-pitch strikes to 18-of-30 Tigers batters and 61 strikes in 100 pitches.
Brown also got some help from his defense as the Bobcats played error-free baseball until two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning, when there was little doubt as to the outcome.
Aberdeen’s offense provided plenty of run-support and did so early on.
Before Brown even set foot on the mound, the Bobcats (5-9 overall) jumped on Centralia starter Kyle Jenkins in the top of the first inning, tagging him for three runs.
Kyle Miller led off the inning with a single and was chased home when Brown smashed a double off the right-center field wall a batter later. Hunter Eisele followed with a single that was followed by a Luca Pisani RBI groundout that scored courtesy runner Trey Anderson. Eisele then scored on a Trevon Nichols’ RBI single, chasing Jenkins from the game after allowing four hits to the five batters he faced.
“One thing we always talked about was coming out and hitting them in the mouth first and putting them on their heels,” Aberdeen head coach Dave Hinchen said. “I told them that we need come out and set the tone early, and I really feel like we did that. Kyle Miller leading off with a base hit and Eli just mashing the ball off the right-centerfield wall on a full-count, I felt like that right there got us going. That really set the tone.”
Aberdeen scratched across a run in the third before Pisani came up with a clutch two-out, two-run single in the fourth to score Kale Goings and Anderson for a 6-0 lead.
Kenny Dawson drove home Anderson with a single in the seventh to close out the scoring.
Miller led the offense, going 3-for-4 with a run while Pisani drove in three runs in his 2-for-3 effort.
The pair joined Brown (1-3, 2B, RBI) and Hunter Eisele (1-4, R) as the first four Aberdeen batters combined for seven of the Bobcats’ 10 hits in the game.
According to Hinchen, it was the top all-around performance from his team this season.
“It was our best, most complete game tonight,” he said. “I’m really proud of our boys.”
Other scores
2A District 4 Softball Tournament
Shelton 6, Aberdeen 2
PREP BOYS SOCCER
Aberdeen 1, Rochester 0
The Aberdeen defense made an early goal by Miguel Martinez stick as the Bobcats advanced to the 2A District 4 semifinals with a victory over Rochester on Tuesday in Aberdeen.
What appeared at first to be a possible high-scoring affair turned into a physical grudge-match as Aberdeen (7-5 overall) took an early lead but had to hold on over the final third of the match as Rochester pressed for the tying goal.
Martinez took a through ball from Tony Hernandez, dribbled around a Warriors defender, and placed a shot past the Rochester keeper to the far post for a 1-0 Aberdeen lead.
RYAN SPARKS | THE DAILY WORLD Aberdeen midfielder Miguel Martinez scored in the fourth minute of the game as the Bobcats defeated Rochester 1-0 on Tuesday at Stewart Field in Aberdeen. With the victory Aberdeen advances to the semifinals of the 2A District 4 Tournament later this week.
The teams jostled back-and-forth for much of the remainder of the contest in what became an attack, counter-attack match.
Rochester (6-5-2) — which had shown to be an improved team since losing 4-0 to the Bobcats back on April 9 — moved players up into the offensive attack over the final 20 minutes of the game in hopes of getting the equalizer.
But Aberdeen head coach Larry Fleming made some moves of his own, utilizing more substitutes than normal and switching around some players to seal up any potential holes in the Bobcat defense.
“I think that in that second half, especially, our defense played great,” he said, citing Angel Sanchez, Javier Garcia, Carlos Campos and Alan Avalos for having solid defensive performances.
Fleming added moving Logan Sias to the backline as an extra defender in the final 10 minutes “worked well for us” and several bench players contributed significant minutes.
”It’s a good example of guys being ready off the bench. I relied on some subs to play because we just didn’t have it. It’s one of those things where sometimes you just don’t have it and it’s just not your day. So I subbed some guys out,” he said. “That’s part of being a team, you have other guys step in when guys are hurt or not feeling 100% and somehow grind it out.”
RYAN SPARKS | THE DAILY WORLD Aberdeen’s Angel Sanchez, right, rises for a header during the Bobcats’ 1-0 victory on Tuesday at Stewart Field in Aberdeen.
Aberdeen will face Columbia River in a semifinal game today (subject to change) after CR defeated RA Long, 4-1, on Tuesday.
As Fleming puts it, making the “Final Four” in this truncated season is quite an accomplishment.
“This is like making the last weekend at state because no matter what, you get to play on the last day (of the season),” he said. “So no matter what happens, we get to play on Saturday.”
PREP GIRLS TENNIS
Aberdeen eliminated at sub-district tournament
The Aberdeen girls tennis season came to an end as no Bobcats student-athletes were able to advance past the 2A Evergreen Sub-District Meet on Tuesday in Tumwater.
Aberdeen senior Kiley Ehly won her first match of the tournament over WF West’s Caydence Edminster, but was eliminated after two straight 6-0, 6-0 losses. Ehly competed for approximately four hours on Tuesday.
“While our season was definitely cut short today, I am proud of the progress the team made during our abbreviated spring,” Aberdeen head coach Ashley Kohlmeier said. “We had a great group of new players who learned how to play tennis for the first time during a 6 week season. I am proud of the seniors for exhibiting grace and leadership during their final season after a two year hiatus. I look forward to the large group of freshman athletes returning next spring.”
Aberdeen sub-district results
Chloe Whitcraft (Black Hills) def. Victoria Judkins (Aberdeen) 6-1, 6-3 Judkins eliminated from the tournament
Kiley Ehly (Aberdeen) def. Caydence Edminster (WF West) 6-4, 6-7(5-7), 6-2
Abby Bond (Tumwater) def. Kiley Ehly (Aberdeen) 6-0, 6-0
Abby Jasper (Tumwater) def. Kiley Ehly (Aberdeen 6-0, 6-0 Ehly eliminated from the tournament
Myer/Schmidt (Tumwater) def. Kallie Knutson/Annie Troeh (Aberdeen) 6-0, 6-0 Knutson/Troeh eliminated from the tournament
Angove/Kee (Tumwater) def Kylie Weiberg/Madelynn Machowek (Aberdeen) 6-1, 6-1 Weiberg/Machowek eliminated from the tournament
RYAN SPARKS | THE DAILY WORLD Aberdeen’s Logan Sias, middle, makes a play toward the Warriors goal during the second half of Aberdeen’s 1-0 2A District 4 Tournament victory over Rochester on Tuesday in Aberdeen.
