Puget Sound Collegiate League baseball playoffs

(#3) West Olympia Linx 3, (#2) Lacey Saints 2 – 17 innings
(#4) Hawks Prairie Cardinals 6, (#1) Olympia Athletics 5
(#5) Tumwater Brewers 6, (#6) Nisqually Silvers 3
(#1) Olympia Athletics 4, (#2) Lacey Saints 3

The second round of the Puget Sound Collegiate League playoffs kicked off at 11:00 AM with an epic 17 inning game, the longest in league history, between the #3 seed West Olympia Linx and the #2 seed Lacey Saints. The Saints got on the the board first when Devin Ferguson drove in a run in the bottom of the first. Mac Gridley drove in a run in the top of the second to even the game up for the Linx and both teams added a run in the sixth inning. After the sixth, the two teams combined for just eight hits and advanced a runner past first base only six times over the next eleven innings before a Skyler Wheeler single drove in Daniel Armstrong for the game winning run in the top of the 17th inning. Justin Dibble started the game for the Linx and gave up two runs in six innings. Micah Donor relieved him in the seventh and gave up two hits over the next eight innings. Seth Gregorich pitched a scoreless 15th. Kyle Leady pitched the 16th and closed out the game in the 17th to pick up the win. With the win, the Linx moved on to Sunday while the Saints dropped into an elimination game on Saturday evening.

In game two, the #4 seed Hawks Prairie Cardinals opened up a six run lead through five innings thanks to a Conor Cook two run double in the first inning and a Daniel Flahie RBI single in the fifth. But the Olympia Athletics rallied in the seventh. Bret Bitow singled to drive in a run and load the bases and then Sean Murphy hit a grand slam to cut the Cardinals lead to just one, 6-5. But Eli Fulton got the last out in the seventh and the A’s managed just one hit over the next two innings and the Cardinals upset the #1 seed A’s, 6-5. Sam Shadle pitched 7 1/3 innings and gave up just one hit while striking out eleven A’s to get the win. The Cardinals moved into the third round on Sunday and the A’s fell into the elimination game against the Lacey Saints.

In the first elimination game, Chris Hackworth gave up two earned runs over 7 1/3 innings to lead the #5 seed Tumwater Brewers past the #6 seed Nisqually Silvers, 6-3. Blake Woosley went 2-for-3 with two RBI and Bobby Twedt, Kyle Doucette and Cole Pittman each added two hits for the Brewers. Spencer Dodd and Ryan Taylor each drove in a run for the Silvers in their last game of the season.

In the nightcap, the Olympia A’s got a masterful pitching performance from their ace, Ryan Smith, and cruised to a 4-1 victory, eliminating the #2 seed Lacey Saints from the PSCL playoffs. Bret Bitow drove in a run in the third inning with a suicide squeeze. Nikko Saenz followed Bitow and drove in the eventual game winning run. Bitow relieved Smith in the eighth inning to pick up the save. The A’s face the Brewers in another elimination game tomorrow afternoon.