KENT LITTLE LEAGUE: 11-12 All-Stars win district title, advance to state

Ciancio, Kryzsko and Sims.

High-powered law firm?

Not quite, though the power part of that equation is spot on when talking about Kent Little League’s 11 and 12-year-old All-Star team.

Behind veterans Mike Ciancio, Kade Kryzsko and Kramer Sims, Kent’s 11 and 12-year-old All-Stars powered to the District 10 title on Saturday afternoon at Sunset Park in Auburn, knocking off Auburn 6-5 in the championship game.

Kent won all four of its games in the tournament, culminating with Saturday’s championship victory over Auburn. As impressive as the wins were, Kent’s raw power might be the most notable achievement of all. The Kent stars pounded out 12 home runs in the four games combined. Kramer led the long-ball attack, belting five home runs while Kryzsko nailed two and Ciancio added one. Meanwhile, three of Andrew Springs’ four hits in the tournament were home runs.

“We certainly hit the ball a lot,” deadpanned coach Claude Ciancio.

Kent veterans Ciancio, Kryzsko and Sims ultimately led the way throughout the tournament. Of the 11 players who comprise Kent’s roster, Ciancio, Kryzsko and Sims are the only players who’ve essentially been there since the start, playing for each one of Kent’s All-Star teams along the way – 9-10, 10-11 and now each of them are in their respective second seasons with the 11 and 12-year-old team.

This championship, however, is the first for the Kent trio.

“They talked of this all winter as they engaged in all sorts of special training camps,” Claude Ciancio said. “They went through each training camp with a singular goal between the three of them to finally win this thing. They talked about it all offseason and, as the season began and throughout the year they’ve had their eyes on the prize.”

The three spent much of this past offseason training under Bill Stubbs and Dave Smart at Specialized Baseball Camps in Maple Valley along with workouts at Bulldog Diamond Sports in Sumner under former Kent-Meridian and University of Washington star Jay Garthwaite. The additional training made all the difference, Ciancio noted.

“It’s always rewarding to see kids set goals and achieve them,” Ciancio said. “Rarely do I think kids apply themselves over a 12-month stretch to reach a goal like these three. But these kids resolved at the end of last summer to win the District 10 tournament. And they all began training programs, hitting, pitching and fielding.”

The end result showed it was all worth while, especially in the championship game against Auburn. Kent trailed 4-0 entering the fifth inning before turning a handful of walks, a hit batter and an Auburn error into a pair of runs, cutting the deficit to 4-2.

Kent’s rally, however, wasn’t over at that point, either.

Kryzsko put an end to the rally in fine fashion, launching what proved to be a game-winning grand slam to center field, giving Kent a 6-4 lead it would not relinquish.

“He launched just a devastating home run,” Ciancio said of the shot that also scored Jake Burns, Brendan Collins and Spencer Green. “I was giddy.”

Burns worked 4 1/3 innings on the mound to pick up the win while Sims recorded the final five outs for the save.

With the win, Kent (4-0) punched its ticket to the state tournament, which begins on Saturday, July 25 in Port Orchard. Kent opens the tournament at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday against Bainbridge Island.

There were plenty of standout performances from Kent, but none more impressive than its Big Three. Kryzsko hit .500 (7-for-14) in the tournament with three home runs and 11 RBIs. Sims proved to be the team’s top power source, hitting .429 (6-for-14) with eight RBIs and five home runs. Mike Ciancio also delivered, batting .500 (7-for-14) with a home run and three RBIs.

“They worked very hard and deserved this,” Claude Ciancio said.

KENT 11-12 GAME ROUNDUP

• Kent 8, Federal Way American 2: Kent wasted little time showing its power as Andrew Kramer launched a pair of home runs and Kramer Sims added another, leading the local 11-12 year old All-Stars past Federal Way American. Darold Thach also enjoyed a nice game for Kent, going 3-for-3. Kent pounded out 13 total hits in the opening-game victory.

Kade Kryzsko worked four sharp innings on the mound to pick up the win.

• Kent 11, Steel Lake 7: Kent continued with its awesome display of power in the second round of the district tournament as Kramer Sims, who already homered in the opening game of the tournament, launched two more shots in the win over Steel Lake. Kent was hardly finished after Sims as Kade Kryzsko and Mike Ciancio also delivered big home runs. Brendan Collins and Andrew Spring also collected a pair of RBIs each in the victory, which propelled Kent into the district semifinals.

• Kent 10, Federal Way National 7: Kent continued to swing hot bats in its district semifinal win over Federal Way National. Kramer Sims, who already had three home runs in the tournament, delivered two more. As was the case throughout the tournament, Sims wasn’t alone on Kent’s dinger diary as Andrew Spring and Kade Kryzsko also launched home runs. Mike Ciancio continued his torrid pace at the plate as well, collecting three hits in the win. Kryzsko allowed 2 earned runs in 4 2/3 innings of work on the mound to pick up the victory, which clinched a championship berth for Kent.