<< Previous   of   Next >> Jennifer Buchanan/The Herald  (click to enlarge) Snohomish center fielder Travis Cuykendall (7) catches a fly ball in front of teammate Cameron Woolsey in the sixth inning of Monday night's game.

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Snohomish clinches North top seed

Panthers beat Monroe 3-0 to secure at least a tie for the Wesco North division crown.

By Mike Cane
Herald Writer

SNOHOMISH -- In its quest for superiority in the Western Conference North Division, the Snohomish High School baseball team finally eliminated the last challenger.

Snohomish took advantage of a few fielding miscues en route to scoring all of its runs in the pivotal fifth inning, got a three-hit pitching performance from Derek Jones and beat the Monroe Bearcats 3-0 Monday at Earl Torgeson Field on Monday night.

With the victory, Snohomish improved its Western Conference North Division record to 13-2 and clinched the league's No. 1 seed for the Class 4A District 1 tournament, which begins Saturday. The Panthers also secured at least a share of the North championship with Monroe, which slipped to 12-3 in division games.

The teams came into the week tied atop the division and both ranked in the Class 4A Washington State High School Baseball poll. But Jones (5-1) of sixth-ranked Snohomish outdueled Ian Parmley (5-2) of No. 8 Monroe.

"We always seem to come through at the end. I think that's why we're better than other teams because we can stay focused the whole game and be ready," said Aaron West, who knocked a perfect bunt down the third-base line for a single during Snohomish's three-run fifth inning.

The teams complete their two-game series 4 p.m. today at Marshall Field in Monroe. Even if Monroe wins, Snohomish will be the North's top seed for the district tourney because it swept third-place Marysville-Pilchuck (10-5) and Monroe split its series with M-P.

"We know that we're in second place regardless of what we do (today) but it would be nice to get a win because (then) you are co-champions," Monroe coach Neil Henderson said.

For four innings the starting pitchers, Parmley and Jones, mowed through hitters. They combined to allow three hits and zero runs during the stretch.

But in the bottom of the fifth inning Snohomish broke through. It scored three runs on four singles and one error. Travis Cuykendall, Cameron Woolsey and Max Foster drove in runs.

The rally started with Brian Wolfe, who hit a chopper. Parmley jumped and stopped it but was unable to hold on and Wolfe got to first with an infield single. The next batter, Snohomish's Tom Chandler, also hit a grounder to Parmley, but Parmley's throw to second base was off target.

The defensive miscues kicked off a spurt that generated all of the game's scoring.

"It just came down to a few little mistakes and them taking advantage," Henderson said. "There's not a whole lot you can really do about those ones."

After losing back-to-back games on April 18 and 22 against Stanwood (9-7), Snohomish regrouped, beating Lake Stevens twice and Monroe once to reassert its hold on the division's top perch.

"We had a pretty good talk about playing clean and made a couple changes and our team has rallied round that. We played an excellent ballgame" Monday, Snohomish coach Kim Hammons said.

"Big series," said Jones, who tossed seven strikeouts and gave up two walks. "Everybody knows the stakes of the game and we don't even really have to say anything. Everybody just knows that they have to play at the (highest) level."

Snohomish was runner-up in the 2007 4A state tourney. The experience it gained then helps a lot now, said Chandler, Snohomish's catcher.

"We've been in this position already. And having eight starters come back, it's really huge because they all know what it takes to get to the next level," he said.

Parmley, Monroe's starting pitcher, used first-pitch strikes to keep Snohomish off balance for four impressive innings. He finished with four strikeouts and no walks in five innings. Monroe's Zac Miller (two singles) was the only player from either team with more than one hit.

Hammons was able to get all eight Snohomish seniors into the game, including Nick Oglesby. It was special to contribute in the seniors' final regular-season home game, said Oglesby.

"It was a gorgeous day -- senior day -- and we came out and just played like we know how," he said.

At Snohomish H.S.

Monroe 000 000 0 -- 0 3 1

Snohomish 000 030 x -- 3 5 1

Parmley, Adams (6) and Andring. Jones and Chandler. WP-Jones (5-1). LP-Parmley (5-2). Records-Monroe 12-3 in division, 15-4 overall. Snohomish 13-2, 16-3.

Writer Mike Cane: mcane@heraldnet.com. Check out the prep sports blog Double Team at www.heraldnet.com/doubleteam.