Kevin Vallala could sense a momentum shift coming.
But would it happen too late?
Thankfully for the Kent/Chinook Senior All-Stars (ages 14-16), the swing of momentum happened just in time during the opening round of the state tournament on Saturday at Redmond’s Hartman Park.
Trailing Lewis River of Vancouver 3-1 in the fifth inning, the local Stars broke loose for two runs to tie the game, and added another in the seventh to seal a 4-3 victory. That momentum carried over into the quarterfinals, where Kent/Chinook worked over Fort Vancouver 7-4.
“We were getting frustrated,” said Vallala, who coached the team last year, when it was comprised of almost an entirely different roster. “We were waiting to break out. We knew we were going to score some runs. Everybody had the feeling that we were going to break out.”
The two wins lifted Kent/Chinook into the state semifinals, where it will play Redmond on Wednesday night (July 21).
The opening victory was pivotal, Vallala noted. Kent/Chinook, which is comprised of players from Kent and Enumclaw, lost in the first round of the tournament last year, and won four in a row before being eliminated. That being the case, remaining in the winner’s bracket is key.
In the opening victory over Lewis River, Sam Burtis opened the pivotal fifth inning with a single to left center. After an out, Mike Mazzitelli and Ricky Davis worked consecutive walks to load the bases.
David Prince then pushed Burtis home with a fielder’s choice out, cutting the deficit to 3-2. Garrett Robertson followed with an RBI single to left, tying the game 3-3.
Robertson was just getting started.
In the seventh, Robertson again came up in a key situation. And, with the bases loaded, Robertson again delivered, this time singling to right field to score Dalton Cryderman from third base with the winning run.
“He was clutch,” Vallala said of Robertson.
Cryderman picked up the win on the mound, striking out three batters in three innings of relief work. Jared Mackie started the game on the mound and struck out six batters in four innings of work. Robertson finished the game with three hits and three RBIs.
Kent/Chinook turned up its offense on Sunday in its win over Fort Vancouver, pounding out 10 hits. However, the local Stars didn’t put away the game until the fifth inning thanks to a 2-run homer to left field by DJ Vallala.
“As soon as he hit it, we just knew (it was gone),” Kevin Vallala said.
Matthew de Wald picked up the win over Fort Vancouver, allowing just two hits in 4 1/3 innings of work. DJ Vallala added a pair of hits in the win, including the home run while Mazzitelli also chipped in two hits and an RBI. Meanwhile, Robertson remained hot, going 2-for-3.
If Kent/Chinook can knock off Redmond on Wednesday, it will play for the state championship on Saturday night.
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