Sehome wins title in battle of unsung teams
 
Mariners claim second straight 2A crown with 8-1 victory

By SCOTT SANDSBERRY
YAKIMA HERALD-REPUBLIC

The two teams in Saturday night's Class 2A state baseball championship game had a lot more in common than the fact that they were winners.

They were unexpected winners.

"I think if you asked everybody before the season if these guys would be playing in the state championship," East Valley coach Jesse Benedetti said of his Red Devils, "not many people would have given them a chance."

Nor, even, was defending state champion Sehome getting much love from the peanut gallery three months ago.

"At one point in the power rankings (listed in the Bellingham newspaper), we were ranked eighth out of the 14 teams in our league," grinned Derek Handy, the Mariners' slugging right fielder.

Added Sehome pitcher Conor Long, "We just laughed at that."

After their 8-1 title-game victory, the Mariners have the last laugh. They chalked up five early runs, got steady mound work from Conor Long to protect the lead, and kept pouring on the offense.

And the Red Devils simply did not.

"We knew coming in we'd have to score," Benedetti said. "We had a lot of opportunities to do better in a lot of areas, and we didn't get it done."

East Valley (20-7) stranded 11 runners, including leaving the bases loaded in both the fifth and sixth innings. Long wasn't anywhere near perfect for Sehome, issuing seven walks, but minimized the damage and gave up just four hits.

"His slider and his changeup were both very effective," said Mariners catcher Ryan Williams, who had three of Sehome's 14 hits. "He did a good job of just keeping them off-balance."

East Valley sophomore hurler Jordan Cameron, though, never quite found his rhythm. He gave up three first-inning runs -- all unearned, because of his own error while fielding a sacrifice bunt -- by issuing three walks, hitting a batter and giving up a pair of singles. He was replaced by Kevin Elkins after walking the first two batters of the second inning, both of whom scored.

"That kind of thing is going to happen. I think every pitcher goes through a stretch like that," Benedetti said. "We needed a lot more than that. This game didn't hinge on that."

Handy was a monster at the plate for the Mariners (22-4), going 3-for-4 with a single, double and home run. Long drove in a pair of runs himself and everybody in the Sehome lineup got at least one hit.

"We were really confident coming into this game," Williams said, noting that the Mariners had scored 48 runs in their three previous state-tournament contests. "We've been hitting the ball really well."

Trent Sikes was the Red Devils' best hitter on Saturday, ripping a double that paved the way to their only run -- which came when Elkins drew a bases-loaded walk with one out in the fifth.

But the next two East Valley batters couldn't bring home any more of those runners, a problem that would plague East Valley all day. The Red Devils simply didn't hit as well as they have been this season. And the Mariners did.

"It's been a great group of kids," Sehome coach Gary Hatch said after the Mariners' second straight state title and third overall. "We've been on a little bit of a roll from last year, and they" -- he pointed to his players, celebrating on the mound -- "haven't forgotten that."

In the moments after the game, though, a fan yelled from the stands at the downcast East Valley players below, "It's a great day to be a Red Devil!"

Benedetti looked into the stands and pointed a finger in the fan's direction. You're right, that finger said. You're so very right.

Because -- pardon the cliche -- a tie might be like kissing your sister, but earning a big, second-place-in-state trophy sure isn't.

East Valley 7th: Elkins grounds out to short; Pottenger grounds out to pitcher; Schoonover grounds out to third to end game. No runs, no hits, no errors, no runners left on base.

Sehome 6th: A. Pitsch singles to center; Handy flies out to center; Williams double to left; Long RBI single to center; T. Pitsch grounds into 4-6-3 double play. One run, three hits, no errors, one runner left on base.

East Valley 6th: M. Clements singles to center; Sauve strikes out looking; Woods walks; Smith flies out to right; Sikes single to left; Komstadius flies out to center. No runs, two hits, no errors, three runners left on base.

Sehome 5th: T. Pitsch singles to left; Niebruegge sac bunts to advance T. Pitsch, 1-3; Henkel pinch-running for T. Pitsch; Henkel takes third on passed ball; Aemmer strikes out looking; Vera RBI single to left; Vera steals second; Drilias flies out to left. One run, two hits, no errors, one runner left on base.

East Valley 5th: Woods grounds out to second; Smith walks; Sikes ground-rule double down left-field line; Komstadius intentional walk; Elkins RBI walk; Pottenger strikes out looking on three pitches; Schoonover flies out to left. One run, one hit, no errors, three runners left on base.

Sehome 4th: Drilias grounds out to third; A. Pitsch strikes out looking; Handy solo homer to left field; Williams singles to left; Long strikes out. One run, two hits, no errors, one runner left on base.

East Valley 4th: Pottenger pops out to second; Schoonover walks; M. Clements flies out to right; Sauve grounds out to third. No runs, no hits, no errors, one runner left on base.

Sehome 3rd: Long grounds out to pitcher; T. Pitsch singles to center; Niebruegge pops out to short; Aemmer singles to left; Vera flies out to right. No runs, two hits, no errors, two runners left on base.

East Valley 3rd: Sikes strikes out; Komstadius grounds out to short; Elkins pops out to short. No runs, no hits, no errors, no runners left on base.

Sehome 2nd: Aemmer walks; Vera walks; Elkins now pitching for East Valley; Drilias bunt single to load bases; A. Pitsch grounds into 6-4-3 double play, Aemmer scores on DP; Handy RBI double to left; Williams singles to left, Handy thrown out 7-2 at plate. Two runs, three hits, no errors, one runner left on base.

East Valley 2nd: Schoonover flies to center; M. Clements grounds out to pitcher on check swing; Sauve walks; Woods walks; Smith grounds into fielder's choice; Woods forced at second 6-u. No runs, no hits, no errors, two runners left on base.

Sehome 1st: Vera walks on four pitches; Drilias sac bunt, safe on fielding error by pitcher; Vera caught stealing 1-4-5, Drilias advances to second; A. Pitsch walks; Handy singles to left on first pitch; Williams pops out to second; Long RBI hit by pitch; T. Pitsch RBI walk; Niebruegge RBI single to center, Long thrown out at plate. Three runs, two hits, one error, two runners left on base.

East Valley 1st: Smith flies out to center; Sikes grounds out to third; Komstadius singles to right; Elkins walks; Pottenger grounds into fielder's choice, Elkins forced out 6-4 at second. No runs, one hit, no errors, two runners left on base.

Starting lineups
   East Valley -- Smith, ss; Sikes, lf; Komstadius, 1b; Elkins, dh (for Cameron, p); Pottenger, cf; Schoonover, 3b; M. Clements, rf; Sauve, 2b; Woods, c.
   Sehome -- Vera, cf; Drilias, ss; A. Pitsch, 3b; Handy, rf; Williams, c; Long, p; T. Pitsch, dh (for Siegfried, 1b); Niebruegge, 2b; Aemmer, lf.