Puget Sound Collegiate League baseball playoffs

(#1) Olympia Athletics 4, (#5) Tumwater Brewers 3
(#4) Hawks Prairie Cardinals 6, (#3) West Olympia Linx 2
(#1) Olympia Athletics 6, (#3) West Olympia Linx 5

With their season on the line, the Tumwater Brewers struck first in game one of the third round of the PSCL playoffs. Kyle Holtman (St. Claire County CC) drove in one run in the first and another in the third and the Brewers took a 3-0 lead over the Olympia Athletics. But the A’s scored four unanswered runs and held on, 4-3, to extend their season and end the Brewers’ year. Drew Fosnes (Green River CC) drove in two of the A’s four runs including the eventual game winner in the eighth inning. Sean Murphy (Murray State College) and Nikko Saenz (St. Mary’s) scored all of the A’s four runs. Holtman went 5-for-5 with three doubles and two RBI for the Brewers in the loss. With the win, the A’s moved on to another elimination game later on Sunday night.

In game two, the Hawks Prairie Cardinals remained undefeated in the playoffs and advanced to the championship game on Monday night with a 6-2 win over the West Olympia Linx. The Cards pounded out 13 hits and Justin King and Eli Fulton (Clark College, Capital HS) combined to give up just five hits and two earned runs. The loss dropped the Linx into an elimination game with the A’s in the next game.

And in the winner to championship/loser out nightcap, the A’s scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth to take a 6-5 lead just a half inning after the Linx broke a 3-3 tie in with two runs in the top of the sixth. Murphy and Bret Bitow (Saint Martin’s) allowed just two hits over the next three innings and the A’s held on to move into the championship game on Monday. Bitow got the save and went 3-for-5 with three runs scored while Saenz and Bret Grey (Central Washington) each collected two hits. Mac Gridley (Lower Columbia CC) went 3-for-4 with two RBI for the Linx in their last game of the season.