By Chris Beatty
Herald Writer
BELLINGHAM – The mighty momentum train that the Meadowdale baseball team is riding has one more stop to make before it reaches its final destination-the Class 3A state tournament.
The surging Mavericks got more clutch pitching and timely hitting in their 4-2 Northwest District tournament semifinal victory over the Burlington-Edison Tigers on Monday at Joe Martin Stadium.
Meadowdale (10-12 overall) will Lynden, a 10-5 winner over Anacortes on Monday, at 2 p.m. Saturday for a berth into the state tournament. If the Mavericks lose that game, they will get a second chance at state in a consolation game to be played at 6 p.m. Saturday.
“We’ve been fortunate so far,” Meadowdale coach Ron Martin said. “Our pitching and our hitting have been much better than they were during the regular season.”
Meadowdale, carrying over momentum from a victory against No. 1-ranked Mount Vernon on Thursday and a no-hit win against Sehome on Saturday, received a strong pitching performance from Zach Swett.
Swett, who was limited to playing the outfield for most of the season due to a sore arm, exhibited periods of dominance Monday, with bouts of wildness sprinkled in.
Although Swett threw a complete game and struck out five, he gave up six hits. Swett also walked five and hit two batters.
“He (Swett) did well today,” said Martin. “He’s a really competitive person, and was one of our most effective pitchers last year.”
Meadowdale catcher Richard O’Neill thinks the key to Swett’s success against Burlington-Edison was his fastball.
“Zach has really good movement on his fast ball,” O’Neill said. “He and Ben (Mummy, Meadowdale’s top pitcher) both get the job done.”
O’Neill was once again the offensive hero for Meadowdale. Following a 2-for-3, three-RBI performance on Saturday, O’Neill hit a two-run single to score Mummy and Zach Williky in the top of the seventh inning, giving the Mavericks a 4-0 cushion.
“After they beaned our best player, it felt good to stick it to them like that,” said O’Neill, referring to Mummy getting hit by a pitch in the seventh. “Playing 4A teams all year has made us a better team going into the playoffs. People see our record and just underestimate us.”
Meadowdale got on the scoreboard first in the top of the third inning. With one out, Josh Miller followed Nick Maddox’s single and Justin Lucero’s double with a two-run single to give the Mavericks a 2-0 advantage.
“I was just looking for my pitch to hit,” said Miller, who went 2-for-4 against the Tigers. “I feel relaxed up there, and it really doesn’t make a difference if I know anything about the pitcher.”
Swett was one out away from a shutout when Burlington-Edison’s Zach Clem crushed a drive to the leftfield wall for a two-run double and a 4-2 ballgame. Swett calmly struck out the next batter, Tigers cleanup hitter Bobby Jensen, to end the game.
“The hitting and the pitching have just surfaced recently,” said Martin. “I felt the potential for both were there all season. It’s just a bit of a surprise it’s showing up now.”
Swett and O’Neill. Kaage and Miller. WP-Swett. LP-Kaage. 2B-Lucero (M), Williky (M), Clem (BE). Records-Meadowdale: 10-12 overall. Burlington-Edison: 13-6.
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