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.

Puget Sound Collegiate League baseball

Hawks Prairie Cardinals 5, West Olympia Linx 4
Nisqually Silvers 5, Tumwater Brewers 2
Olympia Athletics 12, Lacey Saints 8

Final regular season standings & playoff seeds:

1. Olympia Athletics
2. Lacey Saints
3. West Olympia Linx
4. Hawks Prairie Cardinals
5. Tumwater Brewers
6. Nisqually Silvers

The PSCL playoffs begin on Friday with the Brewers facing the Cardinals at 5:00 PM and the Silvers taking on the Linx at 7:45.

Today marks the end of the Puget Sound Collegiate League’s regular season and features all six teams in action at Saint Martin’s and the RAC.

Game one at the RAC features the first place Olympia Athletics, who clinched a first round bye in the playoffs last night, and the Lacey Saints, who need a win to win to get the first round bye. The A’s have had the Saints number this season taking three games out of four. First pitch is at 5:00 PM.

Over at Saint Martin’s, the Tumwater Brewers and Nisqually Silvers continue their series tonight with a full head of hair on the line. Either the Silvers’ head coach Paul Gehring or the Brewers’ skipper Abe Lupkin will get a Mohawk haircut shaved into their head by the other with a loss. First pitch in the Mohawk series finale is at 5:00.

The West Olympia Linx could take home a first round bye with a little help. They need the A’s to knock off the Saints in the first game and then finish off the Hawks Prairie Cardinals in the nightcap. Game time is scheduled for 7:30.

Following tonight’s games, the PSCL takes a couple days off before the playoffs get started on Friday night and run all weekend until the final on Monday at the RAC.

Puget Sound Collegiate League baseball

Olympia Athletics 10, Lacey Saints 6
West Olympia Linx 12, Hawks Prairie Cardinals 4
Tumwater Brewers 5, Nisqually Silvers 0

Puget Sound Collegiate League baseball

Hawks Prairie Cardinals @ West Olympia Linx – Saint Martin’s – 5:00 PM
Olympia Athletics @ Lacey Saints – The RAC – 5:00 PM
Tumwater Brewers @ Nisqually Silvers – The RAC – 7:30 PM

Puget Sound Collegiate League baseball

Olympia Athletics 5, Lacey Saints 1
West Olympia Linx 8, Hawks Prairie Cardinals 2
Nisqually Silvers 6, Tumwater Brewers 1

Ryan Smith (Chemeketa CC, Black Hills HS) gave up just one run on six hits with six strikeouts over seven innings to lead the Olympia Athletics to a 5-1 win over the Lacey Saints. With the win, the A’s are now tied with the Saints for first place with two games left to play. Smith picked up his league leading sixth win, dropped his ERA to 1.23 and has now struck out 47 batters in 52 innings. Nikko Saenz (St. Mary’s), Matt Sparkuhl (Shoreline CC, Timberline HS) and Dane Cheatly (Centralia College) each had two hits and Bret Grey (Central Washington) drove in two runs for the A’s in the win.

The West Olympia Linx also got a solid outing on the mound from Max Dickinson (Lower Columbia CC) in their 8-2 win over the Hawks Prairie Cardinals. Dickinson went seven innings and gave up just one earned run on eight hits. Sam Williams (Lower Columbia CC) went 3-for-3 with an RBI, Chris Womac (Green River CC, Olympia HS) drove in a run and scored twice and Skyler Wheeler (Grays Harbor CC) had two hits and scored twice for the Linx. Chris McElderry (Oklahoma Wesleyan, Yelm HS) went 3-for-5 for the Cardinals in the loss. The Linx are now just a game out of first place at 11-8 while the Cardinals dropped to 10-9, two games back.

And the Nisqually Silvers pitching staff got into the act with three pitchers combining to give up just one run on eight hits in their 6-1 win over the Tumwater Brewers. Jeff Walton (Univerity of Puget Sound) gave up one earned run over four innings to get the win and Ian Buckles (George Fox University) and Andrei Jankanish (Saint Martin’s) gave up just two hits over the final four innings. The light hitting Silvers pounded out 13 hits tonight. Chase LaComb (Colorado State-Pueblo) went 2-for-3 with two RBI and Spencer Manjarrez (Oregon State), Brandon Evans (Colorado State-Pueblo) and Maika’i Derouin (Grand View University) each added two hits. The win broke the Silvers’ seven game losing streak.

The Puget Sound Collegiate League kicks off the final week of the regular season today with three games at two venues with all playoff seeding still up in the air. The Lacey Saints, Olympia Athletics, Hawks Prairie Cardinals and West Olympia Linx are all in contention for the top two spots and a first round bye. The Saints currently sit on top of the league standings, one game up on the A’s and two up on the Cardinals and Linx.

The Saints and A’s get things started this afternoon at Saint Martin’s with first place on the line. The Saints have been on top of the league all season despite hitting just .235 as a team. Devin Ferguson (Centralia College, North Thurston HS) has been outstanding for the Saints all season hitting .333 with two home runs (the Saints only homers) and 14 RBI. The Saints pitching has made up for the lack of hitting giving up just 81 runs in 24 games, a league low, and the pitching staff has the second lowest earned run average in the league at 2.54. Colin Nilson (PLU) leads the Saints staff at 4-0 and a 1.69 ERA. The A’s have the league’s best offense, leading the league in runs scored (123), team batting average (.275) and home runs (5). Five A’s are in double digits in RBI with Sean Murphy (Murray State College) leading the way with 16 to go along with a league leading three homers. The A’s also feature the league’s only five game winner, Ryan Smith (Chemeketa CC, Black Hills HS). Smith is 5-0 and has given up just seven earned runs in 45 innings for a 1.33 ERA. First pitch tonight is at 5:00 PM.

In game two at the RAC, the Hawks Prairie Cardinals face the West Olympia Linx in a battle between two teams hoping to sneak into one of the first two playoff spots. The Cardinals are led by league MVP candidate Chandler Tracy (Saint Martin’s) and his .348 batting average, 16 RBI and 16 runs scored and Shimpie Sato’s (Olympic College) 4-0 record and 2.10 ERA. On the other side, the Linx feature another league MVP candidate, Chris Womac (Green River CC, Olympia HS), who leads the league with a .387 batting average, a .563 OBP and a 1.031 OPS and has stolen 14 bases and scored 17 runs. The Linx pitching staff has given up just 92 runs this season, second lowest in the league, and have the league’s lowest ERA at 2.50. First pitch is at 7:30 PM.

The 5:00 PM game at the RAC pits the Tumwater Brewers and the Nisqually Silvers, the two teams that can’t get a first round playoff bye but still could improve their position in the standings. Both teams have been offensively challenged this season. The Brewers are hitting just .230 as a team while the Silvers have struggled mightily at just .212. Kyle Holtman (St. Claire County CC) is the only regular for the Brewers hitting over .300 at .329. He is also the only Brewer in double digits in RBI with 12. The Silvers do have two batters hitting over .300, Jordan Falcon (New Mexico Highlands) and Brandon Evans (Colorado State-Pueblo). Both teams also feature a hard luck starting pitcher. Devin Smith (Olympic College) has given up just six earned runs in nine games but is just 1-2 for the Brewers while Ryan Taylor (Olympic College) is also 1-2 but has given up just eight earned in eight games for the Silvers.