Vikings rally, knock out GP in baseball districts (video)

Published 1:30 am Saturday, May 5, 2018

SNOHOMISH — It couldn’t have started much worse for the Lake Stevens baseball team.

After falling into a five-run hole in the first inning of Saturday afternoon’s loser-out Class 4A Northwest District tournament game, the Vikings’ hopes of continuing their season were beginning to spiral out of control.

But Lake Stevens refused to cave.

Christian LaPierre blasted a tiebreaking two-run homer in the top of the ninth inning as the fifth-seeded Vikings rallied for an 8-6 road win over fourth-seeded Glacier Peak in the opening-round tournament game.

“We don’t get this one without (resilience),” Lake Stevens coach Josh White said. “We’ve played a couple back-and-forth games with these guys, and it’s kind of gone that way every game.

“We just told (our team), ‘You’ve been in this position before and you’ve got to play every pitch like it’s a separate game.’ I’m really proud of these guys.”

LaPierre, a senior, came up with the deciding blow in the back-and-forth contest. The lefty No. 5-hitter broke a 6-6 tie in the top of the ninth, pulling a 1-0 fastball over the right-field fence for a go-ahead two-run homer.

“High fastballs are my thing,” LaPierre said. “I saw a high pitch and I was like, ‘I’ve got to go after it.’ … I put a good swing on a good pitch, and the rest is history.”

It was LaPierre’s first home run of the season.

“Christian all year long has been consistent at the plate,” White said. “He’s not real flashy. He takes his base hits, he plays sound baseball, but he’s got that (power) in him. We haven’t seen it (in a game) until now, but we see it in practice pretty much every day.”

Lake Stevens’ Christian Lapierre hit a tiebreaking 2-run homer in the top of the ninth to lift the Vikings to an 8-6 win over Glacier Peak in a 4A District 1 first-round, loser-out game. pic.twitter.com/AjI9Ja0hgH

— Cameron Van Til (@CameronVanTil) May 6, 2018

The victory advanced Lake Stevens (9-12) to Monday’s district semifinal against top-seeded Cascade. After claiming the district title as a No. 5 seed last year, the Vikings are looking to make another postseason run.

“These guys know that they have a target on their back from last year,” White said, “but it gives them a little extra motivation. … We try to take it one pitch at a time.”

Glacier Peak (10-11) jumped to a 5-0 lead while sending 11 batters to the plate in the first inning. Cleanup hitter Pierce Leavengood highlighted the outburst with a two-run homer over the right-field fence for his third home run of the season.

But the visiting Vikings surged back with a four-run second inning. Theron Perkins keyed the rally, launching a two-out, bases-clearing triple over the center fielder’s head to cut Glacier Peak’s lead to 5-4.

“(Our) guys know that they can hit,” White said. “That’s part of our identity. If we’re down even five or six runs, they can chip away and come back.”

Lake Stevens senior pitcher Justin Troia, who entered with one out in the first inning, steadied the Vikings with 6 2/3 strong innings on the mound. The left-hander allowed just one earned run and four hits.

“We don’t win that game if Justin doesn’t come in and get outs,” White said. “He did a great job.”

Lake Stevens took a 6-5 lead with two runs in the top of the sixth. Pinch-hitter Bryce Mefford singled and came around to score the go-ahead run on a passed ball.

Glacier Peak responded in the bottom of the sixth with a two-out, game-tying single up the middle by Jaxsen Sweum.

From there, the teams remained deadlocked until LaPierre’s ninth-inning heroics.

The Grizzlies put runners on first and second with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, but Lake Stevens reliever William Wentz induced a fly-out to seal the victory and end Glacier Peak’s season.

“We played well (and) they played well,” Grizzlies coach Bob Blair said. “It was a good baseball game. … Every run was earned by both sides.”