Seventh-inning home run sinks Snohomish

Published 9:00 pm Saturday, May 19, 2001

By Chris Beatty

Herald Writer

KENT – After dodging bullet after bullet, the Snohomish Panthers finally caught one right between the eyes.

Snohomish’s baseball team flirted with disaster on more than one occasion in the Region 2 Championship game against the Federal Way Eagles, before finally succumbing 4-3 in the bottom of the seventh on a game-winning home run by Nick Batkoski at Kent Memorial Stadium.

“This was a game of clutch hits,” said Snohomish coach Kim Hammons. “They just had one more than us.”

Snohomish finishes the season with a record of 16-8 and eighth place in state. Federal Way (20-3) will play in the semifinals on Friday at Cheney Stadium in Tacoma.

Federal Way seemed poised to break the game open on many occasions, but Snohomish starting pitcher Tyler Piatz and the Panthers’ defense was always able to minimize the damage and keep the score close.

In the bottom of the first inning, Federal Way loaded the bases with two outs, but Piatz was able to strike out the Eagles’ Jason Clark to end the inning unscathed, holding a 1-0 Panthers lead.

In the bottom of the sixth with the score tied 3-3, Federal Way had runners on first and second with one out, when the Eagles’ Lance Frank hit a high-arching ball into right field. Panthers’ right fielder Trevor Johnson made a diving catch just before the ball touched the grass for the second out. Piatz shut the door by catching Federal Way leadoff hitter Travis Ishikawa looking with a slider for strike three to end the inning.

That same pitch would be the difference in the game in the seventh.

With one out and nobody on in the bottom of the seventh, Piatz hung a slider that didn’t break to No. 3 hitter Batkoski, and he sent it about 400 feet into the parking lot behind the left field fence.

“We got a great game from Piatz,” said Hammons. “This was just a great high school baseball game. We came here to play two games and we accomplished that goal.

“This was a great season, considering nobody picked us to finish in the top two or three in our division. We beat the No. 5 team in state today (Puyallup) and were one game away from going back to state. These are great, quality kids.”

Snohomish had plenty of opportunities of their own to get to Federal Way pitcher Shea McFeely throughout the game. The Panthers stranded a total of 11 runners on base, with their biggest missed chance coming in the top of the seventh. Snohomish had the bases loaded with one out and were unable to score.

“These four seasons were the greatest times of my life,” said Snohomish first baseman Cory Gestson, one of three seniors, along with pitcher Mike Warmbrodt and Josh Rodland, who were members of the Panthers’ state championship team in 1998. “This was a fun atmosphere to play in with a great coaching staff. This was a good way to end it.”

Federal Way 7, Mountlake Terrace 6: A wild throw to first base by the Mountlake Terrace third baseman allowed Federal Way’s Travis Ishikawa to score the game-winning run from third base in the bottom of the eighth inning of the Region 2 game.

“We fought like that all season,” said Mountlake Terrace coach Andrew Watters, whose team battled back from a 5-0 deficit to take a short-lived lead by scoring four runs in the sixth inning and two runs in the seventh. “Someone’s got to win these one-run games and most of the time it’s been us. I’m proud of them. My guys never give up.”

Snohomish 4, Puyallup 2: Snohomish starting pitcher Mike Warmbrodt delivered his team into the Region 2 championship game with a three-hit complete-game victory over the Vikings. Warmbrodt smote batter after batter, striking out seven while walking only two.

“Compared to when I was a freshman, I was a lot more calm today,” said Warmbrodt, who was the winning pitcher for Snohomish as a freshman in the state championship game in 1998. “Back then I was scared out of my life.”

The Panthers’ Pete Moormeier gave Snohomish an early 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning with a two-run triple into the gap in right-center field. Moormeier later scored on a delayed steal to give Warmbrodt all the offense he would need for the game.