We continue with some baseball. Mount Si High School’s “C” baseball team closed out its season with a doubleheader split at home yesterday with Hazen. The Highlanders won the opener 9-6 before Mount Si took the nightcap 7-6 in dramatic walkoff fashion.
Blake Helman went 2-2 pacing the Wildcats, while Kainoa Keith had a double and three RBI’s. Wyatt Forsman went 2-2 with two runs scored and two RBI’s and was the centerpiece of the dramatic finish in the nightcap. He was the front end of a double steal attempt that saw back-end runner Bretton Twentey get nailed at second base. But Forsman was at third and the throw to second allowed the Mount Si freshman to steal home for the winning run, ending the Wildcats’ season at 6-13-1.
Wildcat program families last night, including the “C” team, enjoyed themselves at the Seattle Mariners’ game in Seattle with the Arizona Diamondbacks, which was the game Mount Si players sold tickets to as a program fundraiser enabling the varsity squad to play at T-Mobile Park next season. We’ll check for you to see if that opportunity has been locked up for 2025. The Mariners won the game 3-1 with a home run from first baseman Ty France and a strong seven inning pitching performance from pitcher George Kirby.
Also from baseball:
Early onslaught sinks Tennessee Tech: The University of Tennessee-Martin scored seven second-inning runs and used that to cruise to a 15-6 win over Tennessee Tech last night in the middle game of a weekend series in Martin, TN. Senior Troy Baunsgard, from North Bend and a 2020 Mount Si HS grad, was 1-4 with a run for the Golden Eagles, who wrap up the series today with UTM.
Basin swept: Columbia Basin CC’s team was swept in two by Walla Walla CC last night, with the home WW side winning 14-10 in the opener in 11 innings on a walk-off grand slam before sweeping the pair with an 8-6 nightcap result. Freshman Alex Chamberlain played in both games for CBC, going 1-5 with a double driving in two runs in the first game before going 0-4 in the nightcap. He is from Snoqualmie and a 2023 Mount Si alum.
Augie swept: South Dakota’s Augustana University fell in two games to Minnesota State-Mankato, dropping the games in Mankato, MN, 7-2 and 14-5. Senior Spencer Marenco played in both games for the Vikings, going 0-1 in the nightcap and getting no at-bats in the opener. He is from North Bend and a 2019 Mount Si HS grad.
Linn-Benton sweeps: Behind a solid two games from outfielder Aidan Dougherty, Linn-Benton CC’s squad swept two from Southwestern Oregon, winning the games at home in Albany, OR, 2-1 and 8-1. Sophomore Aidan Dougherty paced L-B, going 1-4 with a run scored in the opener before the 2022 MSHS alum went 2-3 with a double in the nightcap, scoring three runs and driving in a fourth for the Roadrunners. He is from Snoqualmie.
Battle of top teams features Mount Si alum: The NWAC South Division’s top two teams faced off yesterday with Tacoma sweeping two from Lower Columbia 2-0 and 2-1. Sophomore Jake Smith played in both games for LCC, going 2-3 with an RBI in the nightcap. He is a 2022 MSHS alum from Snoqualmie. Tacoma pitchers Jack Berg and Oliver Lang, both MSHS alums as well, did not play in the doubleheader for the Titans.
Rough go for Disch, YVCC: It was not a good day yesterday for sophomore Tyler Disch, as the usually reliable pitcher from Snoqualmie walked five in his 1 1/3 innings of relief work for Yakima Valley CC. He allowed three unearned runs as a result of those walks and took the loss in the opener of a doubleheader with Big Bend, as the Moses Lake school won that first game 6-5. Big Bend took the nightcap and swept the two from the Yaks in Yakima 14-4. Disch is a 2021 MSHS alum.
Centralia gives their guys a chance to see four-year talent: The Blazers gave their players a chance to play talent from a four-year university yesterday, and did well. Centralia CC’s team swept two from a junior varsity squad for Oregon’s Pacific University, winning the games 4-2 and 9-6 in Forest Grove, OR. Freshman pitcher Owen Theis pitched in the nightcap for Centralia and was tagged a little bit, allowing three runs on four hits in his one inning of work. Theis, from North Bend and a 2023 MSHS alum, did not receive a decision.
Edmonds and Bellevue cut short by rain: Edmonds took the first of two at Bellevue College’s Courter Field over the Bulldogs 6-3 before having the nightcap get stopped late due to rain and the two teams tied 5-5. They will finish that game up today in Edmonds. In the opener, Duvall’s Gabe Villaflor went 0-2 with a walk for BCC while Fall City’s Gavin Yost saw action with no at-bats recorded. The nightcap had Villaflor going 1-4 before proceedings ended for the Bulldogs, while fellow lower Valleyite Sheldon Egger pitched 5 2/3 innings for Edmonds allowing three runs on 10 hits walking three and striking out four.
Eastlake preps for postseason on strong note: In high school action, Kingco 4A’s Eastlake scored a 4-1 win last night at home in Sammamish over defending Washington 3A champion Lincoln of Seattle. The Wolves’ win was powered by a Jack Edmunds homer. Eastlake is one of six Kingco teams to advance to this week’s WesKing district playoffs. Mount Si did not qualify for that postseason tournament.
Track and Field: Valley athletes compete at Shoreline Invitational
Athletes from both Mount Si and Cedarcrest High Schools competed yesterday at the Shoreline Invitational at Shoreline Stadium in north Seattle. Most of the local delegation came from Mount Si, with the Wildcats winning the girls’ freshman team title on the strength of the lone event win by a Valley athlete in the meet, by Mount Si freshman girls’ distance runner Ryan McLellan, who took the freshman girls’ 1600m in a time of 5:18.55.
There were two Cedarcrest representatives there, and both did very well. Ethan Swenson finished third in the boys’ 400m (49.98) and seventh in the 200m (23.05), while Summer Soptich took 2nd in the girls’ 400m (58.76) and fifth in the 200m (26.74). Elsewhere, Mount Si’s Logan Green was fourth in the varsity boys’ 1600m (4:38.58) and Tanner Nelson took fourth in the boys’ javelin (toss of 158 feet) and Wildcat Shelby McCallum was fifth in the girls’ shot put (toss of 34’5”).
Action for both teams resumes this coming week with league action.
Colleges:
OSU High Performance Meet, Corvallis, OR: A trio of Valley athletes were in action at this meet yesterday in Oregon. Oregon Tech’s Tychon Preston, from Snoqualmie and a Mount Si HS alum, was fourth in the men’s 3000m steeplechase open division clocking 9:56.42, while Seattle University’s Sierra Swart, from Duvall and a 2023 Cedarcrest HS alum, was 68th in the women’s 800m open division with a time of 2:28.71. Rounding it out, Central Washington’s John Pratapas, from Snoqualmie and a Mount Si HS grad, was 29th in the men’s 800m open division with a time of 1:56.96.
Ralph Vernacchia Invitational, Bellingham: Freshman Jake Hall had a pair of top-10’s yesterday at this meet up at Civic Stadium in Bellingham hosted by Western Washington University. The Simon Fraser University men’s sprinter, from Snoqualmie and a 2023 Mount Si HS grad, took second in the 100m with a time of 10.74 seconds then grabbed ninth in the 200m with a time of 22.92.
Fresno State meet, Fresno, CA: University of Washington freshman women’s pole vaulter Avril Wilson, from Duvall, took a top 10 last night in this meet down in the Central Valley of California. Wilson, a 2023 Cedarcrest HS grad, cleared 12 feet, 10 inches and took sixth in the invitational division of the women’s pole vault competition at the meet, hosted by Fresno State University.
Payton Jordan meet, Palo Alto, CA: Wilson’s UW teammate Joe Waskom, from Snoqualmie, had another solid showing in distance running at this meet hosted by Stanford University. Waskom, a MSHS alum, clocked 3:40.34 and took third in his men’s 1500m heat.
Snoqualmie Valley Sports Journal 