The Decatur baseball took a huge step toward winning the South Puget Sound League 3A Division championship Tuesday afternoon with an exciting 8-7 win over Auburn Mountainview in Federal Way.
Sophomore Tyler Swanson connected on the game-winning single in the bottom of the seventh inning to break a 7-7 tie and give the Gators a two-game lead in the SPSL 3A. Decatur now sits 11-2 in league play and the defending 3A state champion Lions are 10-4. The two teams meet again at 7 p.m. at Auburn Mountainview on Thursday. A win will guarantee the Gators the SPSL 3A championship. Decatur could also win the league title with a victory over Enumclaw Friday in their regular-season finale.
Tuesday, Decatur took a quick 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. Auburn Mountainview fought back with four runs in the top of the fourth. The Gators then exploded for six runs in the fourth to take a 7-4 lead. But the Lions tallied a run in the fifth and two more in the sixth to set up Swanson’s game-winning hit in the bottom of the seventh.
Garrett Westberg picked up the win on the mound in relief. Seattle University-bound senior Chris Carns started the game for the Gators. Offensively, Decatur got home runs from Carns and senior Brandon Zimmerman. Both Carns and Zimmerman scored two runs each.
Beamer — The Titans moved into second place in the SPSL South behind unbeaten Puyallup with three wins. Beamer (13-4 overall, 10-4 SPSL South) downed Rogers Tuesday, 5-2, and beat Curtis twice, Saturday and Monday.
Against Rogers, the Titans got another strong pitching performance from A.J. Ascinas, who got the win. Rogers’ only two runs came in the bottom of the sixth.
Offensively, Jalen Prather finished 2 for 3 with a run, RBI and stolen base and Scott Sunitcsh was 2 for 3 with an RBI and stolen base.
The Titans and Blake Randazzo shut out the Curtis Vikings Monday, 9-0. Beamer broke the game open in the bottom of the fourth inning with seven runs.
Randazzo allowed just three hits, struck out six and walked only one in six innings of work. Ascinas finished 3 for 3 with two runs and a double, Andrew McBride was 2 for 4 with two RBIs and Kepa Sharpe finished 2 for 4 with an RBI and a double.
Monday’s win was Beamer’s second over the Vikings in three days. The Titans downed Curtis, 11-1, Saturday in University Place. Washington State-bound Sunitcsh allowed only two hits in six innings of work, striking out 11. Ben Arata finished 3 for 5 with two RBIs and Sharpe was 3 for 3 with three runs and two RBIs.
Federal Way — The Eagles (10-7 overall, 8-7 SPSL South) got another huge pitching performance from Ben Koler, who shut out Graham-Kapowsin Monday, 1-0. Koler allowed just two hits and struck out four during the complete-game victory.
Graham-Kapowsin pitcher C.J. Blowers allowed only three hits and struck out eight. Federal Way’s Rylan Cratsenberg had the only RBI of the game in the bottom of the first inning.
Top-ranked Puyallup beat up Federal Way Tuesday, 12-3, thanks to six runs in the top of the seventh. Christian Jones connected on a two-run home run for the Eagles.
Jefferson — The Raiders (12-6 overall, 9-6 SPSL North) got a huge game from Niko DelaCruz Monday during a 10-2 win over Kentlake. The senior threw a complete-game, five-hitter on the mound and was 2 for 4 with a home run, four RBIs and a double at the plate.
The Raiders scored two in the third, five in the fourth and three in the sixth on 10 hits.
Tahoma downed the Raiders Tuesday, 8-4. Jefferson got two hits each from Thomas Amato and Alex Polz, but managed just five hits during the game.
