Bothell’s big inning dooms Glacier Peak baseball
Published 8:00 am Friday, May 10, 2024
EVERETT — Through four innings of play, the Glacier Peak High School baseball team appeared like it was cruising towards a coveted state tournament berth against Bothell.
The Grizzlies held a five-run lead going into the fifth frame, but a seven-hit, nine-run avalanche from the Cougars in the top of the inning left Glacier Peak scrambling to pick up the pieces. In the end, the fifth-seeded Grizzlies fell to No. 7 Bothell 11-6 in a Class 4A District 1/2, winner-to-state game on Thursday night at Funko Field.
Glacier Peak will face No. 9 Woodinvillle at 4 p.m. Saturday at Bannerwood Park in a winner-to-state, loser-out contest.
“We’ve been good all year long about picking ourselves up after we drop one,” Glacier Peak coach Bob Blair said. “But tonight we just couldn’t recover. We were against the ropes and we just couldn’t get our heads cleared. (Bothell) is a good team, and when you get to playoff baseball you can’t let that happen. If a good team gets you on the ropes, they’re going finish you.”
The seventh-seeded Cougars (15-10) started challenging Glacier Peak (12-11) in the top of the third, as Bothell drew four straight walks on Grizzlies’ starter Khristian Prom to get on the board. However, Glacier Peak minimized the damage, closing out a bases-loaded, one-out jam.
The Grizzlies responded in the bottom of the fourth, as center fielder Atticus Quist (2-for-3, two RBI) chopped a solo home run to right field to give his team a 6-1 advantage. Then, Bothell unloaded their offensive showcase.
Wyatt Mickelberry got the Cougars rolling with his own one-run shot, making it 6-2 as Bothell scored on their next six at-bats. Bothell then blanked the Grizzlies on the other side of the final three innings.
Glacier Peak now faces a do-or-die bout against the Falcons as the Grizzlies search for their first state tournament berth since 2017.
“We had a chance to finish them early but we didn’t jump up on it and capitalize, and they did.” Blair said. “We’ll be fine on Saturday. … Our goal all along was to get to the state tournament. It didn’t matter if that was the third, fourth or fifth spot. We still have that opportunity on Saturday, and that’s our focus.”
