State baseball preview: Capsules for the 2A state final four

CLASS 2A BASEBALL STATE TOURNAMENT

Where: Yakima County Stadium (Yakima)

Semifinal 1: Fife (21-3) vs. Sehome (18-9), 4 p.m. Friday

Semifinal 2: Archbishop Murphy (20-5) vs. Selah (22-2), 7 p.m. Friday

Third-place game: semifinal losers, 1 p.m.

Championship game: semifinal winners, 7 p.m.

Archbishop Murphy: The Wildcats have won 13 of their past 15 games en route to their first state semifinal appearance since 2013. Coming from the disbanded Cascade Conference, Archbishop Murphy claimed the Wesco 3A/2A South title in its first season in the eight-team league. Brandon King and Aiden Van Resum each batted above .460 in the regular season, and ace pitcher Cole Calnon posted a 0.70 earned-run average.

Selah: The Vikings are making their 14th state semifinal appearance, and their first since winning the 2A state title in 2016. Led by pitchers Dylan Bishop and Payton Andreas, Selah allowed only one run and five hits combined in state regional wins over North Kitsap and two-time defending state champion Ellensburg. The Vikings have an elite shortstop in Vanderbilt commit Carter Young, who played on USA Baseball’s under-18 national team. Selah is unbeaten against 2A opponents, with their only losses this season coming to Metro League champion Lakeside.

Fife: The Trojans have won 15 of their past 16 games en route to their second state semifinal trip. Fife has a .338 team batting average with 16 home runs and 75 extra-base hits. Sophomore slugger Antonio Guerrero is batting .400 with a team-high six homers, including a three-run shot in the Trojans’ 5-4 quarterfinal win over Liberty (Issaquah).

Sehome: After a 5-6 start, the Mariners have won 13 of their past 16 games. Makana Grondin hit a two-run homer to key Sehome’s 3-2 victory over Port Angeles in its state opener. The Mariners then defeated Columbia River in the quarterfinals, riding a six-run first inning to their ninth state semifinal berth.