It was a familiar matchup for the Titans in their game Wednesday night. The matchup for the No. 1 seed in the South Puget Sound League for district playoffs saw them play their former South division foe, the Puyallup Vikings.

The game started rough for Beamer, who found themselves down two runs in the top of the first inning. As the game wore on, things began to click, but not soon enough.

Beamer senior JJ Asinas took to the mound for the Titans for the first time in over a month. It took a few innings before he could shake the rust off.

A hit, a walk, a hit batter and an error all contributed to Puyallup taking a quick 2-0 lead in the top of the first.

It may not have seemed like it at the time, but the game-changing play occurred in that first inning. With runners on first and third for Puyallup and one out, they sent their University of North Carolina bound catcher, Brandon Illies, from first to second on what seemed like a botched steal attempt.

The steal was actually a diversion as Asinas stepped off the mound and caught Illies in a run down. It was at that time that Puyallup’s Zach Needham took off from third towards home. In the confusion of the moment, Asinas settled on tagging out Illies, while Needham crossed the plate.

Things got a bit better for Beamer defensively in the second inning as they only gave a couple hits, but no runs. Puyallup would add another run on an Illies single in the top of the third.

Beamer struggled to figure out Puyallup’s left-handed pitcher Christopher Micheles for most of the game. Through six innings, the Titans only managed four hits and two walks against the University of Washington commit.

Even with a couple hits in the first two innings, Beamer was only one over the minimum through the third inning. A second inning play that illustrated their luck saw a line drive hit directly into Micheles’s glove, allowing him to throw out the runner on first as well.

Despite their struggles early in the game, the Titans did not give in and began a rally in the bottom of the seventh inning.

After a hit and a walk with no outs, Beamer had more life than they had all night. The first out came when Max Dalrymple struck out. There was a bit of controversy on the play as the catcher was unable to hold on to the pitch and the runners moved up to second and third. Instead it was ruled that Dalrympe’s bat knocked it out of the catcher’s mitt.

They still managed to move up on a wild pitch by Micheles. Puyallup brought on the hard throwing Leif Strom to close out the game.

Strom struck out Chaz McKenzie to get to two outs. Beamer’s Jalen Prather provided the spark that the Titans were looking for as he lined a pitch back up the middle and brought home Jayshawn Ware and Tommy Davis to bring the score to 3-2.

Beamer’s talented senior Ben Arata was the next batter up. Prather was able to move up to second on a steal, but on a 3-2 count, Arata struck out swinging to end the game.

Puyallup was awarded the top seed from the South Puget Sound League for district playoffs, while Beamer lost 3-2 to Kentwood the following day and claimed the third seed from the SPSL.

Beamer will play Timberline at Foss High School on May 12 in a winner to state game. The loser will need two consecutive wins to advance to the state playoffs.

Decatur the sixth seed from the SPSL

It was a tough couple of games for Decatur. On Tuesday they played Rogers for the fourth seed in the South Puget Sound League.

After falling behind 1-0 in the first inning, they managed a run in the bottom of the sixth to tie it back up at 1-1.

The seventh inning saw them give up two more runs to the Rams. They managed to get one run back in the bottom half of the inning, but could not manage more than that as they fell 3-2.

The loss meant they had to play Tahoma for the fifth and sixth seed game. They fell 9-3 on Wednesday locking them into the sixth spot out of the SPSL.

They will play Puyallup in the first round of the West Central District playoffs on May 12 at Art Wright Field in Kent. The game’s start time is at 7:00 p.m.

The winner of that matchup will qualify for the state playoffs. The loser will need to win two consecutive games to advance to the state playoffs.

Puyallup’s Owen Breithaupt hits a pitch early in  the game against Beamer. Terrence Hill, the Mirror

Puyallup’s Christopher Micheles pitched for six and a third innings against Beamer. He had four strikeouts and gave up five hits. Terrence Hill, the Mirror

The controversial Dalrymple strikeout when it was ruled he hit Brandon Illies’ mitt which did not allow the runners to advance in the bottom of the seventh. Terrence Hill, the Mirror

Decatur’s Tyler Swanson originally drove in the tying run in the bottom of the sixth for Decatur against Rogers. The Gators fell 3-2 in the game. Terrence Hill, the Mirror

Decatur’s Garrett Westberg pitched for six innings, striking out eight and giving up seven hits in the 3-2 loss to Rogers. Terrence Hill, the Mirror