EVERETT — Luke Kuna is going to have a very different state tournament experience this year.
The Snohomish senior, who went to the 4A state golf meet last season, pitched the Panthers into the 4A state baseball tournament this year. Kuna allowed only one run — and hit the go-ahead single for Snohomish — to guide the Panthers to their second consecutive 4A District 1 championship and a state berth with a 4-1 victory over Cascade Thursday night at Everett Memorial Stadium.
“Luke Kuna, who should probably be at the state tournament in golf, is doing it in baseball,” said Snohomish head coach Kim Hammons. “… He’s thrown well for us all year long. He’s just done an incredible job for us catching, pitching, playing first, playing third and batting fourth for us. You just can’t ask for anymore from a first-year varsity player.”
Kuna allowed just three hits in a complete game on the mound for Snohomish. The right-hander, who improved to 5-0 this season, said this year’s baseball district tournament was a quite a bit different from the golf one he’s participated in the last couple years.
“I was on the golf course last year and coming to this — there’s no feeling like this playing golf,” Kuna said. “Even at state or districts, there’s no feeling like the dog pile after winning. It feels awesome.”
Kuna admitted to some nerves before the contest, but said he settled down after Cascade scored its lone run of the game in the fourth inning.
“I knew that we had it in us to beat them,” Kuna said of Cascade, which was 2-0 against Snohomish this season. “Throwing strikes was key. Just keeping it in the zone. I was throwing strikes with my curveball today. It was just on.”
Offensively, Snohomish did most of its damage in the top of the sixth inning. With one out, Josh Johnston got the Panthers’ first hit since the second inning and senior Gavin bullock followed with a walk. Then Snohomish’s Jake Mulholland hit an RBI single that was followed by Kuna’s RBI single that came on an 0-2 count.
Andrew Kane added a sacrifice fly to cap the three-run rally and give Snohomish (17-6 overall), which has won nine of its past 10 games, its first lead of the game. The Panthers added another run on a wild pitch in the top of the seventh inning for the game’s final score.
“We have guys that will get base hits when we need them,” Kuna said. “I knew that our situational hitting would do it for us.”
Both starting pitchers had strong outings. Bruins starter Brennen Hancock allowed only one hit through the first five innings in what quickly turned into a pitcher’s duel with Kuna.
“Brennen Hancock just pitched great,” Hammons said. “His first four innings were superb. He threw strikes and got us out. He was just tough. Finally, we got some clutch hits and we scored a couple times.”
Cascade (14-8) did its damage in the bottom of the fourth inning. After a leadoff double by Ryan Colvin, the Bruins took a 1-0 lead on an RBI single by Michael Carter — the first two hits of the game for Cascade.
“Michael Carter had a big hit to give us the lead,” said Cascade head coach Scott Stencil. “We actually looked to (do a sacrifice bunt) there in the fourth. We bunted one foul and I thought, ‘You know what? Let’s give him a shot at ripping one.’ And he hit one right through the middle and we ended up scoring that run.”
The Bruins, who had two runners on with no outs in the bottom of the seventh inning, got only one hit the rest of the way.
“Great game,” Stencil said. “They’re a great team. Congratulations to Snohomish. They’re very deserving. … It was a very competitive game. I thought both pitchers did a great job. They put three really good swings in a row on us and got their runs and that, really, was the difference.
“Kuna just shut us down. We could not get it going.”
The Bruins will face Mount Vernon at 10 a.m. Saturday at Everett Memorial Stadium for the district’s second — and final — state berth. The two teams played in a district semifinal game on Monday with Cascade getting a 7-6 walk-off win in the bottom of the eighth inning.
“We’ll just pick ourselves up and hope to win Saturday,” Stencil said. “The great thing about it is we get another chance. We’ll see Mount Vernon and hopefully we’ll go get that one.”
At Everett Memorial Stadium
WP: Luke Kuna (7 IP, 1 R; 1-3, RBI). LP: Brennen Hancock. Individual highlights: Snohomish—Jake Mulholland (1-3, RBI); Andrew Kane (RBI); Cascade—Name Ryan Colvin (2B, R); Michael Carter (RBI). Records—Snohomish 17-6 overall. Cascade 14-8.
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