The Federal Way team that took the field Tuesday looked like a completely different team than the one Decatur faced a day prior. After being shut out Monday, the Eagles picked up a 9-7 win and ended the Gators six-game winning streak.
While the Gators started the season slowly, they picked up steam and jumped out to an early division lead in the South Puget Sound League Northwest. They were undefeated since March 24, including a sweep of league foe Mount Rainier.
Decatur was looking for more of the same from their 5-0 win against Federal Way Monday, but those hopes were dashed quickly.
Federal Way jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the top of the first using small ball tactics and a couple well placed hits. A double by junior Christian Jones drove home two runs.
“I felt like I saw that our guys were a lot more aggressive at the plate,” Federal Way head coach Danny Graham said. “We left 15 runners on base [Monday] in the first five innings. I think we changed our approach a bit today.”
Decatur responded with a couple runs of their own in the inning, bringing the score to 5-2.
A couple more runs in the third inning brought them within one. Federal Way sophomore catcher Gabe Togia made a key play to stop any more runs with a sliding tag at the plate to put Decatur’s Garrett Westberg out.
After the shaky start, junior pitcher Kaiden Jacobs calmed down on the mound for the Gators and struck out seven batters. He pitched the first five innings for Decatur.
The top of the fourth inning saw Federal Way score on a balk with runners on first and third.
The two-run cushion did not hold for long as Decatur senior Taylor Havlicek and junior Nathaniel Sagdahl hit back-to-back homeruns on consecutive pitches, tying the game at six.
“We’ve got power throughout the lineup,” Decatur head coach Korey Sites said. “It’s all about making sure that we’re in good counts and doing our job at the dish. And if it goes out, it goes out. I liked our approach up there, especially on those two at-bats.”
Federal Way scored once again in the seventh. A Jones double moved senior Rylan Crastenberg up to third. Decatur then allowed their second run on a balk in the game.
Decatur attempted one last rally in the sixth inning. Senior Isaiah Hatch managed to move Jacobs to third on a double in the inning. Sagdahl brought Jacobs home shortly thereafter to tie the game.
The Eagles brought in junior Ben Koler to pitch following the run. The move stopped the rally and the game held at 7-7 through the first seven innings.
The top of the eighth saw Federal Way regain the lead with two runs. A close play at third base — which had Sites arguing the safe call — and a missed opportunity at a 6-4-3 double play immediately after led to the second run of the inning for the Eagles.
In the bottom of the eighth, the Gators could not figure out Koler. He ended the game with a strikeout.
Federal Way improved to 2-3 in league play and 7-4 overall. The win keeps them in the conversation for a league title.
Decatur fell to 4-1 in league play and 7-4 overall. They still led the division after the loss. Despite the loss, Sites remains positive about the team.
“We’ve been improving day after day and that’s all we ask,” Sites said. “The goal is to be competitive in league and then do some damage in the playoffs and we’re putting ourselves in a good spot for that.”
The two teams faced off again in the rubber match on Thursday at Saghalie Middle School after the Mirror’s publishing deadline. Graham said he was looking forward to the pitching matchup between Koler and Havlicek.
Decatur would win the third game 5-1.
Federal Way catcher Gabe Togia checks on the other runners after tagging out Decatur’s Garrett Westberg at the plate in the third inning. TERRENCE HILL, the Mirror
Timothy Hughes slides into home plate for one of the Gators two runs in the bottom of the third inning. TERRENCE HILL, the Mirror
Christian Jones hits a double for the Eagles in the fifth inning of Federal Way’s 9-7 win over Decatur. TERRENCE HILL, the Mirror
