Prep postseason roundup: Murphy baseball to 2A state semis

CENTRALIA — Behind a pair of solid pitching performances and big second game from its sophomore first baseman, the Archbishop Murphy baseball team is heading to the Class 2A state semifinals.

The Wildcats (20-5) knocked off 2018 state semifinalist W.F. West (21-3) and its University of Washington-bound left-hander Brock Jones, 3-2, in a tight battle to start the day. They followed with a 7-2 win over Ridgefield (18-7) to claim their first semifinal berth since 2013 on Saturday at Wheeler Field.

“I can’t tell you how happy I am for them because of all this hard work that they put in,” Murphy coach Max Whitt said. “We jumped up into Wesco and we’re playing great teams there. And I think that really helped us to prepare for the great teams we’re playing here. The boys really accepted that challenge and went at it head on.”

The Wildcats jumped out to a 2-1 lead in the first inning against W.F. West when Derek Trobough swiped home on a delayed steal and Cole Calnon added a run-scoring single. Murphy tacked on one more in the second on an RBI double from Trobough.

The Bearcats got one back in the top of the fourth to cut their deficit to 3-2, but that’s all W.F. West could muster.

Calnon picked up the win for Murphy with six strong innings of two-run ball on the mound, escaping a few jams as he allowed nine hits but walked none and struck out three.

“He did an absolutely amazing job,” Whitt said. “(W.F. West) came out and they were hitting him a little bit and he got it under control and was hitting his spots later in the game.”

Trobough shut the door in the seventh inning to pick up the save.

Calnon put the Wildcats on the board in the top of the first inning against Ridgefield with a sacrifice fly.

Murphy opened things up with a five-run third inning highlighted by Jack Johnson’s three-run home run to take a 6-0 lead.

“That was absolutely huge. We’re struggling a little bit (offensively),” Whitt said. “We score one in the first inning and they’re pitcher starts to settle down a little bit and he’s throwing lots of strikes. Then we got two guys on and Jack came up, sat on a fastball and drove an opposite-field home run in one of the biggest moments he could have.

“… That was definitely a huge moment for the team and a huge moment for Jack.”

Spencer Anderson put the Spudders on the board with a solo shot in the fourth. They added another run in the second on a groundout to make it 6-2.

Johnson drove in one more with a double in the seventh.

Johnson finished 2-for-3 with a double, a home run and four RBI.

Wildcats starter Aiden Van Rensum went the distance to pick up the victory. He allowed two earned runs on two hits and three walks while striking out three.

“He’s a sophomore and he’s got the heart of a lion,” Whitt said. “He was up on the mound and he had full control of his changeup and his breaking ball. It was just an amazing pitching performance by him.”

The Wildcats take on Selah (22-2), which is playing in its 14th straight state tournament, on Friday at 7 p.m. at Yakima County Stadium in Yakima.

4A STATE BASEBALL

Tahoma 3, Monroe 0

VANCOUVER — Bronson Burton out-dueled Bearcats star sophomore Ryan Lynch on the mound in a state regional game at Propstra Stadium.

Burton threw a shutout to end Monroe’s season at 17-7, but Lynch struck out six Bears hitters in three perfect innings before giving up a hit to lead off the fourth. Tahoma improved to 17-8 on the season with the win.

3A STATE BASEBALL

Ingraham 3, Shorewood 1

TACOMA — Ingraham (15-9) scored twice in the top of the sixth to break a 1-1 tie and went on to defeat Shorewood in a state regional game at Heidelberg Park.

David Snell’s RBI double in the second inning accounted for the only run of the game for the Thunderbirds (15-9).

1A STATE BASEBALL

Columbia 4, Cedar Park Christian 0 (9)

ANACORTES — The Eagles battled Columbia for eight scoreless innings before the Bruins (19-5) broke the game open with four runs in the top of the ninth at Volunteer Park.

Cedar Park Christian (20-4) was retired in order in the bottom half of the frame to end the game.

1A STATE SOCCER

Winlock/Toledo 1, King’s 0

WINLOCK — Winlock/Toledo’s Gustavo Barragan scored on a long ball over the top in the 56th minute to account for all the scoring in Saturday’s quarterfinal contest.

King’s season ends at 11-5-1, and Winlock/Toledo improved to 16-0-4 with the win.

4A BI-DISTRICT SOFTBALL

Jackson 2, Eastlake 0

KENMORE — Iyanla De Jesus tossed her seventh no-hitter of the season as the Timberwolves beat Eastlake to claim the 4A Wes-King Bi-District title Saturday at Inglemoor High School.

It marked the fifth consecutive district or bi-district crown for the defending state champion Timberwolves (22-2), who won four straight Northwest District titles prior to this year’s implementation of the bi-district format with Wesco and KingCo.

De Jesus struck out 15 batters and walked five in the latest masterpiece of her spectacular prep career. It was the second seven-inning no-hitter of the season for the Coastal Carolina University-bound senior, who also has five mercy-rule no-hitters.

Julia Dillon went 2-for-2 with a fourth-inning run-scoring double that stretched Jackson’s lead to 2-0.

With the victory, the Timberwolves will take a 13-game win streak into next weekend’s 4A state tournament in Spokane.

Eastlake (17-8) had a 13-game win streak snapped with the loss. The Wolves will enter state as the bi-district’s No. 2 seed.

Glacier Peak 4, Bothell 3

KENMORE — The Grizzlies scored the tying and game-winning runs on an error in the bottom of the seventh inning to earn a dramatic win over the Cougars to clinch the fifth and final state tournament berth from the 4A Wes-King Bi-District in a loser-out game at Inglemoor High School.

With the bases loaded and one out, Makayla Miller hit a ground ball that scored Maleah Menchaca with the the tying run. An errant throw home got by the catcher and allowed Kendall Curtis to score the run that sent the Grizzlies to state.

Miller, whose father, Fred Miller, is Bothell’s coach, pitched a complete game for Glacier Peak (18-6). She allowed three earned runs on five hits, struck out two and walked three.

“Today’s game was intense. It has been a long week for the girls, but they left it all out there, believed in one another and had faith in the plan,” Glacier Peak coach Stefanie Celix said. “They now know without a doubt that they can accomplish what they put their hearts and minds into.”

Bothell ends its season at 11-17.