State baseball roundup: Stadium advances in 3A bracket with win over Gig Harbor
Stadium High School baseball advanced to the Class 4A state tournament back in the 2007 season for the third time in program history.
Until Tuesday evening in Tacoma, that was the Tigers’ most recent appearance in the state playoffs.
This season’s group clinched the program’s return, this time in the 3A bracket, last week by winning their first-round game in the 3A West Central/Southwest district tournament, and eventually reached the district championship game.
Tuesday at Heidelberg Sports Complex, playing in the state tournament for the first time in 16 years, the Tigers also ensured their season will continue on this weekend, jumping out to an early lead against Gig Harbor in the 3A opening round and holding on late for an eventual 7-4 victory.
“It’s awesome,” Stadium starter Marcel Mercado said. “Lots of energy here.”
The win sends the No. 14 seed Tigers (19-5) on to a meeting with No. 3 seed West Seattle in the second round Saturday morning.
The No. 19 seed Tides, making their seventh consecutive state tournament appearance, end their season at 10-14.
Gig Harbor took the game’s first lead Tuesday on Ryland Heckman’s RBI single to left in the top of the first, but Stadium responded with five base hits later in the frame — including four consecutive singles to open the bottom of the first — tallied four runs and never trailed again.
Logan Judish singled in Stadium’s first run, Maxwell Heinze scored on a wild pitch and Noah Kula drove in two more on a base hit to left.
“It was huge,” Tigers coach Justin Hinkle said of building an early lead. “We usually take three or four innings to get a run. Today was good. Get ahead early, and just keep adding.”
The Tigers added three more runs in the fourth to extend the lead as high as 7-1. Jackson Noonan singled and Kellen Colglazier grounded into a fielder’s choice to drive in runs, and Bennett Nieraeth later scored on a wild pitch.
Gig Harbor responded with a three-run fifth — Josh Dunham doubled in a run, Heckman singled to score another and a Cole Krilich double drove in a third — but Mercado worked out of the inning, and eventually earned the win, completing 5 1/3 before reliever Riley Newman closed out the game in a scoreless sixth and seventh.
Noonan finished 3-for-4 with a run scored, RBI and stolen base for the Tigers, while Kula was 2-for-3 with a double and two RBI. Heckman was 2-for-4 with a run scored and two RBI to lead the Tides.
The Tigers move on to face West Seattle at 10 a.m. Saturday at Southwest Athletic Complex in Seattle, having now won 18 of their past 20 games, for a trip to the quarterfinals. Stadium has reached the state quarterfinals twice in program history — in that 2007 season and in 1979.
“These guys have been playing really well,” Hinkle said. “At the beginning of the season, it was a little struggle, but we’re on a roll now.”
“I think we’re in a really good spot,” Mercado said. “ … We’re going to be ready for Saturday.”
No. 13 Mountlake Terrace 13, No. 20 Auburn Riverside 3
The Hawks (16-10) never trailed, scoring four runs in the bottom of the first on the way to an eventual double-digit win over the Ravens in Tuesday night’s 3A opening-round game at Mountlake Terrace High School.
Nine players drove in runs for the Hawks — who added one run in the second, five in the third, two in the fourth and one in the sixth — led by shortstop Talan Zenk, who finished 2-for-4 with a run scored, four RBI and a stolen base.
Ryan Sturgill, Ethan Swenson and Ryan Melgardshagen also had multi-hit games for the Hawks, who move on to play No. 4 seed Lake Washington at 1 p.m. Saturday at Bannerwood Park in Bellevue.
Outfielder Carson Rhooms drove in all three runs for the Ravens on a solo home run in the second and two-run homer in the fourth.
Auburn Riverside’s season ends at 14-12.
No. 15 Monroe 6, No. 18 Silas 1
The Bearcats (19-6) scored three runs in the first to take a lead they never lost, and added three more in the sixth in the 3A opening round Tuesday night at Monroe High School.
Harlan Rowe doubled in two runs for Monroe in the opening frame, and an Ethan Hogan single scored another to give the Bearcats a 3-0 advantage they carried until the sixth inning.
The Rams scored their only run of the game on a Jack Phillips base hit in the top of the sixth, and Monroe responded with three runs later in the frame on an Eli Miller sacrifice fly, and back-to-back singles from Rowe and Rylan Hampton.
Caleb Campbell tossed five-plus innings for the Bearcats and earned the victory, allowing the one run on five hits. Skyler Lynch tallied the final six outs for Monroe, including retiring the Rams in order in the seventh, to close out the win.
Monroe advances to play No. 2 seed Lincoln of Seattle at 10 a.m. Saturday at Bellevue College. Silas ends the season at 14-9.
