Two seems to be the number of choice for Auburn Mountainview’s baseball team.
After playing two games – with much different problems and results during Saturday’s Class 3A West Central/Southwest bi-district tournament at Heidelberg Park in Tacoma – the Lions must win a pair of games to advance to state for the third time in four seasons.
The scenario could have been different as the Lions opened district with a 3-2 win against North Thurston to place themselves in a winner-to-state contest against Central Kitsap before suffering a 10-5 setback.
Auburn Mountainview (12-9) even took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning when senior shortstop Garrett Neiss led off with a walk and scored on a one-out double by sophomore third baseman Hayden Byorick off right-handed pitcher Matthew Vessey. Byorick then scored during the ensuing at-bat when senior first baseman Chandler Michalek grounded out.
“We’ve got to pitch and play defense and hope that we can swing it,” Auburn Mountainview coach Glen Walker said. “We made some mistakes early that got them back into the game. It was all just on a couple of bonehead mistakes.”
The Cougars (20-2) responded with five runs in the bottom half of the first inning off junior right-hander Shane Buchanan. After senior Isaiah McGee was hit by a pitch, four consecutive batters reached base with one out.
Fred Buckson was safe on an error and senior first baseman Eric Halvorson drew a walk to load the bases. Sophomore outfielder Tristan Barr then followed with a two-RBI single, while senior shortstop Nick Roberts also plated a pair of runs with a triple. Roberts scored CK’s final run of the inning on a passed ball.
The Cougars extended their lead to 6-2 in the second inning when Buckson hit a two-out single on a chopper to third base to score junior catcher Duncan Guerrero, who led off the inning with a single.
The Lions were quick to respond, though.
With one out in the third inning, Auburn Mountainview loaded the bases when senior left fielder James Kisling singled down the right-field line, Byorick walked and Michalek was hit by a pitch.
Senior second baseman Ben Dobin then hit a two-out single to score Kisling and his classmate, left fielder Alex McBee, also singled to plate Byorick. Michalek also scored on that play on an errant throw home by the first baseman to reduce the Lions’ deficit to 6-5.
But the Lions only produced two more hits for the rest of the game.
“We just kind of fell apart when we needed to stay strong,” McBee said.
CK topped that hit production in the seventh inning alone off freshman reliever Nate Weeldreyer. With one-out McGee and senior second baseman Griffin McCormick singled. McGee then scored on a single by Buckson and Halvorson produced the same result to plate McCormick.
Roberts, who finished 4 for 4 with three RBI, later followed with a two-out single to score Halvorson. The Cougars’ final run came when Vessey drew a bases-loaded walk to score senior third baseman Nolan Wiler.
“We’re not putting guys away with two strikes,” Walker said. “Seven of the 10 runs they had were with two strikes.”
It all added up to too many mistakes against CK, which placed third in last year’s 3A state tournament.
“They’ve got to be in the top two,” Walker said of where he would rank this year’s Cougars in 3A. “They’re a really good baseball team.”
Meanwhile, Auburn Mountainview plays Prairie at 4 p.m. Wednesday in a loser-out game at Auburn. If the Lions win that game, they advance to another loser-out contest Saturday at Heidelberg against a to-be determined opponent. A victory in that game would propel Auburn Mountainview into a state seeding game later that day.
“We still think we’ve got a shot at doing great things,” Walker said. “We know how to win and play in big games.”
Elsewhere
Wilson 2, Auburn 1: Senior left-handed starter Aaron Foust scattered five hits in a complete-game effort, but the Trojans’ season ended with a 2-1 loss during Saturday’s district tournament contest against Wilson at Auburn.
Jace Graves went 2 of 4 for the Trojans, who finished with an 8-14 record.
