Arlington beats Kelso before losing to Lakeside of Seattle in regional title game

MOUNT VERNON — For years the Arlington Eagles baseball program was an afterthought for the north Snohomish County high school.

Yet, fifth-year head coach Scott Striegel is beginning to see fruit borne of the seeds he’s been planting since coming to Arlington as an assistant coach a decade ago.

Though his team ultimately fell 7-3 to Lakeside of Seattle in Sunday’s Class 3A regional final at Sherman Anderson Field, this particular group of Eagles won the program’s first state playoff game since 1973 while making its first state tournament appearance in 22 years.

“These kids just go out and play hard,” said Striegel, whose team knocked off ninth-ranked Kelso earlier in the day to reach the regional final. “We’re not led by one stud that takes care of everything. We just have a whole bunch of kids that play their butts off and play hard, and they just battle.”

Lakeside (21-4) advances to Friday’s Class 3A state semifinal in Pasco. The Lions blanked Glacier Peak 6-0 in the other first-round game Sunday. All three games were being made up after they were rained out Saturday.

Though it faced an early 5-0 deficit with a starting pitcher that didn’t make it out of the first inning, Arlington refused to go quietly.

The Eagles got one back in the third when a bases-loaded walk to Branden Perdue and another in the fourth on a Gavin Rork bloop single to make it 5-2.

The caveat: Arlington left the bases loaded in each inning. The Eagles stranded 11 runners in all and that lack of the timely big hit contributed to their undoing.

Rork finished 3-for-4 with two RBI to lead the Arlington offense. The sophomore was one of seven underclassmen in the lineup Sunday for an Eagles team that surprised many in making it this far.

“At the beginning of the season we were still kind of feeling each other out and nervous about the season,” Rork said. “We really hit it off in the league and kept it going, and really got close to each other.”

The Eagles never let the game get completely out of hand, though it appeared early that they might.

The Lions wasted no time as they plated three runs in the top of the first inning. Ryan Shaw’s two-run homer and an RBI single by Sam Kuper gave Lakeside a three-run lead in the first.

Matt Dietz drove in two more with a bases-loaded double in the second as the Lions pushed their advantage to 5-0.

After Arlington runs in the third and fourth cut the deficit to 5-2, Eagles right fielder Daniel Smith kept it that way when he gunned Kuper out on the plate on Zane Baker’s would-be sacrifice fly to end the fifth inning.

The teams traded runs in the sixth, and Kuper scored on scored on Kellen Goodwin’s two-out single in the seventh to complete the scoring.

It remained an upbeat group of Eagles following the game and a lengthy post-game team huddle.

“That’s just another step for next year and two years (from now),” Rork said. “I’m planning on going to the state championship (in the next two years).”

Arlington 3, Kelso 1 (loser-out)

Smith’s two-run double with two strikes in the top of the seventh scored the go-ahead runs as the Eagles defeated ninth-ranked Kelso 3-1 in a regional first-round game.

Smith’s double drove in Jared Bailey and Trevor Kazen, each of whom reached by error in the top of the seventh. The Hilanders (15-8) committed six errors in the game to sully an otherwise impressive performance from starting pitcher Yancy Bird. The Lower Columbia College-signee struck out 10 and scattered five hits. He did not allow an earned run.

“Daniel Smith has been a big hitter for us the past couple years,” Striegel said. “He’s struggled the last couple weeks. But he battled with two strikes and squared up the ball and drove in a couple for us.”

The Eagles took the lead in the top of the first. Rork worked a leadoff walk, stole second and went to third when the catcher’s throw went into center field. Perdue then drove Rork home with a sacrifice fly to give Arlington a 1-0 advantage.

It was the first run allowed by Bird in his three postseason appearances this year.

Kelso drew even when Issac Kjose’s RBI double to the base of the fence in center field scored Brandon Williams to tie the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the third.

That was all the scoring until Arlington took the lead for good in the top of the seventh.

Arlington 3, Kelso 1

Individual highlights: Arlington—Daniel Smith (1-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI), Branden Perdue (RBI), Jake Russell (2-for-4), Jared Bailey (2-for-3, run), Tristan Sheward (CG, 4H, 2BB, HBP, 7K). Kelso— River Liepa (1-for-4, SB), Brandon Williams (1-for-4, run), Isaac Kjose (1-for-3, 2B, RBI), Yancy Bird (1-for-3, CG, 5H, 3BB, HBP, 10K). Record: Kelso 15-8.

Lakeside 7, Arlington 3

Individual highlights: Arlington—Gavin Rork (3-for-4, 2 RBI), Jack Sheward (1-for-3, run), Jared Bailey (1-for-4), Trevor Kazen (1-for-3), Kyle Bayer (run). Lakeside—Corbin Carroll (1-for-4, 2 runs), Ben Hinthorne (2-for-3, run), Matt Dietz (2-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI), Ryan Shaw (1-for-3, HR, 3 RBI), Sam Kuper (3-for-4, 3 2Bs, 1 RBI), Charlie Wright (W, 3 2/3 IP, 1R, 5H, 2BB). Records: Arlington 16-8. Lakeside 21-4.