EDMONDS — After watching teammate Dylan Schlenger toss a shutout just a day prior, Jens Simonsen was determined to match his comrade’s stellar outing.
The Edmonds-Woodway senior didn’t quite replicate the performance, but he did more than enough on the mound to help the Warriors finish off a two-game series sweep of Mountlake Terrace on Thursday night.
The left-hander allowed just one run and struck out seven over 6.2 strong innings and a pair of freshmen at the bottom of the order got the offense going as E-W topped Terrace 5-1 in a Wesco 3A/2A South tilt at Edmonds-Woodway High School.
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“Almost had (the shutout) until there at the end,” Simonsen said, “but it just feels good to get the sweep.”
With the victory, the Warriors (10-4 overall, 7-1 league) held serve atop the Wesco 3A/2A South standings and remained one game ahead of second-place Shorewood with six conference games left for each. It also pushed Terrace (7-7, 4-4) to three games back after the Hawks entered the week trailing E-W by only one game.
“Very big,” Warriors coach Dan Somoza said of the sweep. “Terrace is an outstanding team and they always compete and play hard. For us to get two victories against them, we’ll take that every time. I’m really excited for this group of guys.”
Grant Oliver went 3-for-3 with a triple and a run scored, Andreas Simonsen had two hits and a run scored and four different Warriors recorded an RBI. Jens Simonsen allowed six hits and two walks.
Warrior players celebrate during a baseball game between Edmonds-Woodway and Mountlake Terrace at Edmonds-Woodway High School in Edmonds, Washington on Thursday, April 13, 2023. The Warriors won, 5-1. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
Bede Breese went 2-for-3 with a double, Ryan Melgardshagen reached base twice and drove in a run and center fielder Rominic Quiban recorded an outfield assist for Terrace. Starter Tyler Song pitched a six-inning complete game and allowed five runs on nine hits with no walks and two strikeouts.
Jens Simonsen set the tone early while needing just seven pitches to get through the first inning of an efficient night on the mound. He had just four three-ball counts and retired the Hawks in order three times through the first six innings behind a mix of fastballs and curveballs with a few change-ups sprinkled in.
“Jens was just competing,” Somoza said. “That’s the number one thing. He was throwing strikes and working his curveball and fastball in and out. He did a great job of just coming right after them.”
While Jens Simonsen was dealing on the mound, the Warriors’ defense provided an equally impressive showing.
With two outs in the top of the first, Oliver slid to his right to field a grounder deep in the hole at shortstop and fired a long throw across the diamond to rob Terrace of a hit.
With a runner on first and second and one out in the second, third baseman Drew Warner knocked down a hard liner and threw to first where William Alseth made a nifty catch-and-tag to avoid a bases-loaded situation. Alseth made another standout play in the seventh when he dove left, snared a hard grounder and turned a potential leadoff extra-base hit into an out.
“I know when the ball is hit hard they’re going to make a play,” Jens Simonsen said.
Edmonds-Woodway’s Diego Escandon (2) slides into second during a baseball game between Edmonds-Woodway and Mountlake Terrace at Edmonds-Woodway High School in Edmonds, Washington on Thursday, April 13, 2023. The Warriors won, 5-1. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
A pair of freshmen got the offense going for the Warriors in the third. Andreas Simonsen reached on a one-out infield single up the middle and advanced to second on an errant pickoff attempt soon after. Fellow freshman Toshi Gilginas laced a crisp single into left-center to plate Andreas Simonsen and later came around to score on a Thomas Schults groundout for a 2-0 lead.
“We’re mixing in about six or seven freshmen on our varsity team, which is the most I’ve ever had,” Somoza said. “It’s been fun to mix them in with all the older guys. I’ll take whatever I can get out of them.”
E-W added on insurance during a three-run fifth inning. Oliver reached on a leadoff triple and scored on a wild pitch, Diego Escandon doubled and scored on Warner’s single and Kohl Gruender drove in Warner with a single for a 5-0 lead.
Bresee doubled with one out in the seventh and Melgardshagen ended Jens Simonsen’s night with a two-out RBI single. E-W right-hander Finn Crawford came in to record the final out and strand runners on first and second.
“These guys are just playing as a team. That’s our number one goal,” Somoza said. “We have no superstars. We’re just about playing well together and the guys are buying in.”
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