The Federal Way Eagles baseball team is peaking at the right time. The Eagles continued their impressive play Tuesday and Wednesday with a pair of wins over two of the better teams in the South Puget Sound League North Division.
The Eagles beat Kentlake Wednesday, 11-10, in their final at bat and downed Jefferson Tuesday, 9-6. The victories moved Federal Way into second place in the SPSL North.
After dropping its first two SPSL North games, Federal Way has won nine of its last 11. The Eagles (11-5 overall, 9-4 SPSL North) currently sit four games back of unbeaten Kentwood.
Against Kentlake, Federal Way overcame a 10-9 deficit by scoring two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to walk away with the win. The Eagles outhit the Falcons, 12-7, and got two hits and two RBIs from Terin Beck and Brett Evans. One of Evans’ hits was a home run.
But it was Nick Tanielu who had a monster game for Federal Way. The junior shortstop finished 4 for 5 with a double, triple, three runs and two RBIs. He also picked up the victory on the mound, throwing the seventh inning.
Tuesday it was all about the bottom of the sixth inning for both teams. The Raiders (7-5 SPSL North) rolled out to a commanding 6-2 lead, after scoring two runs in the first and fifth innings and single runs in the second and fourth.
But the powerful Eagle offense exploded for seven runs in the sixth after TJ’s University of Washington-bound right-hander Jeff Brigham was pulled after five innings of work.
Federal Way’s Elliot Morris finished 3 for 3 with two RBIs and a run and Austin Webber was 2 for 4 with three RBIs and a run. TJ Horsfall threw the first four innings, followed by Webber, who picked up the win.
Harold Adams and Mitch McQueen both homered for the Raiders and both finished with two RBIs each. Eric Lindenauer took the loss on the mound.
In other baseball action:
• The top-ranked Puyallup Vikings handed Beamer its fifth loss in a row Wednesday, 14-1, in five innings. The Vikings racked up 16 hits against Titan pitching.
Beamer’s lone run came on a solo homer by Jeff Apigo. The Titans had only two hits.
The Decatur Gators (3-12 overall, 3-9 SPSL South) handled Beamer Tuesday, 7-2. The Gators’ got a big offensive game from Gavin Cuddie, who finished 3 for 4 with a home run and two RBIs. Ofero Taitano ended up 2 for 4 with two runs and a double. Zach Jacobs picked up the win on the mound.
Beamer’s Richard Apigo and Travis Crumb both finished with a pair of hits for the Titans (6-10 overall, 4-9 SPSL South).
• Jefferson got some solid pitching and timely hitting Monday night during a 3-2, extra-inning win over the Kentlake Falcons.
The Raiders scored a single run in the top of the eighth inning and Brigham held Kentlake scoreless in the bottom of the inning to give TJ the win.
In the top of the eighth, Brigham led off the inning by getting on base on a muffed popup by Kentlake’s second baseman. Adams followed with a bloop-single to left to put runners on first and second with no outs.
Kentlake (8-5 overall, 5-5 SPSL North) responded with a double play, leaving Brigham at third with two outs. But Brett Fitzgerald came up huge, lining a double down the left-field line to drive in the go-ahead run.
Kentlake took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the fifth inning, but it could have been more. The Raiders converted a perfect outfield relay to throw out a Kentlake baserunner at the plate.
Jefferson then responded with two runs of their own in the top of the sixth to tie the game. Brigham drove in Travis Quakenbush with a double and Oakley Murphy followed with an RBI single up the middle.
Lindenauer pitched two innings of shutout relief and got the win for the Raiders. Austin Campbell threw the first five innings for TJ, allowing the two runs.
Doug Christie, Kentlake’s hard throwing righty went 7-plus innings and took the loss.
