Snohomish baseball loses heartbreaker in 3A State quarterfinals

Published 10:00 pm Saturday, May 23, 2026

AUBURN — Clinging to a 1-0 lead against Decatur in the seventh inning of the 3A State quarterfinals at Auburn High School on Saturday, Snohomish baseball needed one more out.

Through 13 2/3 total innings on Saturday, including its 2-0 win against Peninsula earlier that afternoon, Snohomish had not allowed a single run. Down to his final batter as he approached the WIAA-mandated pitch limit of 105, senior Rider Walsh was determined to finish his stellar performance on the mound with a ticket punched to the state semifinals.

With Decatur junior Tyler Buol on first after his leadoff single, Walsh fell behind 2-0 to senior Landon Le and had to start filling the zone. Le watched the first strike go by to bring the count to 2-1, but he put everything into the next pitch, which he sent sailing to left field.

It was high, it was far, but it fell just short of the outfield wall — and just past junior Deyton Wheat’s outstretched glove. Wheat’s quick reaction and throw to senior Chase Clark at shortstop prevented any score, but Decatur had runners on second and third.

“I knew this team wasn’t going to quit, and I knew I had to buckle down,” Walsh said. “I got those first two outs and hit that pitch count, but this was a really, really good game.”

Walsh’s night was done, but the job wasn’t finished. Until all of a sudden, it was.

On back-to-back plays, sophomore Julian Boone slid into first on an infield RBI single that tied the game 1-1, and senior Landon Parker reached on an error up the middle as Le scored to secure a 2-1 walk-off win for the No. 4 seed Golden Gators (21-4).

For the No. 5 seed Panthers (19-6), one more out would have sent them to the semifinals for the first time since their 2008 state title run.

Instead, it was over.

“I’m very proud of these guys,” Snohomish coach Nick Hammons said. “We knew today was going to be a grind. Winning two games in a day, it’s something new that we haven’t done all year. It’s a summer ball feel for a lot of these guys, but I’m just proud. … We were right there. Right there until the end.”

Walsh struck out six and allowed six hits and one walk over 6 2/3 innings. He also plated the Panthers’ lone run by reaching on an error after putting the ball in play with junior Landon Klein in scoring position.

Heading into the game, Walsh thought of everyone who helped get him to this point, but primarily his father, Barry.

As far back as Walsh can remember, he and Barry would play catch at the Snohomish Little League fields. Throughout Walsh’s playing career, through the ups and downs, Barry was there to keep pushing him. Walsh credits him as his biggest role model.

That will always be the case, even though he is no longer with us. On April 7, 2023, Barry Walsh died of a heart attack. He was 43 years old.

“He helped me throughout my baseball career,” Walsh said. “That’s really what I fought for today. It was making him proud, and digging deep for my teammates and him and my coaches.”

Walsh spent the past three years leaning on his teammates and friends, some whose fathers coached alongside Barry in the past. On Saturday, those same teammates leaned on Walsh.

“(Walsh) came here, and the day was his,” Hammons said. “He had two hits in the first game (against Peninsula), had the RBI for us to put us up 1-0 (against Decatur). Just performed at an all-time high. It’s the heart of a Panther. Heart of a champion today.”

Snohomish and Decatur each stranded a runner on second in the first inning, but neither team put a runner back in scoring position until Klein stole second in the top of the sixth.

In between, Walsh and Buol each dominated on the mound. Walsh never faced more than four batters in a single frame between the second and sixth, and Buol was similarly efficient shutting down the Panthers, who generated some hard-hit balls early on but could not find many gaps.

Snohomish finally took the lead in the sixth after Klein stole second. Walsh sent a grounder to third, reaching safely on a throwing error as Klein jogged through home plate.

“I knew we’d be able to do something if I just put it in play,” Walsh said. “That’s all I asked for. I just put it in play.”

Walsh went 1-2-3 in the bottom of the sixth, and Buol shut down any opportunity for run support in the top of the seventh before the Golden Gators found their offense just in time.

It’s a bitter end for Walsh and the six other seniors, but only after the class shepherded the program through its most successful period in a decade. One year after earning their first state tournament berth since 2017, the Panthers returned again, this time reaching the quarterfinals for the first time since 2016.

Walsh is leaving baseball behind. He plans to enter the fire academy upon graduation, following in Barry’s footsteps.

Meanwhile, Snohomish baseball will look to build on what Walsh’s class started.

“We’re going to celebrate these seniors,” Hammons said. “We’ve got seven special kids in our program. We want to celebrate them, but the future’s bright. We got a ton of guys coming back, and I couldn’t be more excited where this program’s headed.”