Things looked eerily reminiscent of their game with Puyallup early on for Beamer against Yelm on Thursday.
Junior pitcher JJ Asinas was on the mound again, and the Tornados got to him early. They scored twice on four hits in the first inning.
They added another two runs in the top of the third inning and built a 4-0 lead. They had seven hits on Asinas in the first two-and-a-half innings.
Then Asinas was untouchable. Yelm did not get another hit until Asinas left the game in the seventh inning. Asinas finished with six innings pitched, seven hits, seven strikeouts and two earned runs against him.
Max Dahlrymple allowed four hits, but struck out two and allowed no runs in two-and-a-third innings. Andy McBride picked up the win after allowing no hits and striking out one in 2 and two-thirds innings of work.
Beamer’s bats got hot right as their pitching did. Seniors Taylor Davis and Ben Arata drove in all of the runs for the team.
Arata provided the key hit in the third inning to bring home Beamer’s first two runs.
An error by Yelm on a Dahlrymple grounder put runners on the corners in the fourth. Davis came through with two RBIs on his at-bat to tie the game at 4-4.
Beamer stole five bases in those two innings.
From there it became a pitcher’s duel through the next six innings. Runners were scarce and Yelm pitchers Connor Bensen and Indigo Keeslar combined for 11 strikeouts.
In the bottom of the 11th inning, the Titans’ bats finally woke up again as they loaded the bases. A key play was Andy McBride reaching second on an error by Keeslar as he bounced a throw past Bensen at first base.
Davis ended the game with a deep shot into the gap in midfield to bring home Jalen Prather for the game-winning run as the Titans won 5-4.
“It’s been a tough week-and-a-half,” Beamer coach Jerry Peterson said. “Our seniors came through for us. The kids hung in there and I thought we played well. We’re excited for the opportunity we have.”
“Nothing better than that in playoff baseball,” Davis said of his game-winning hit.
Davis will be the starting pitcher in the winner-to-state game against Decatur.
“My arm’s feeling strong, I’m ready to pitch that game,” Davis said. “Defense just has to keep playing hard and we’ve got to keep coming up with big base hits early in the game.”
Davis was 4-6 with three RBIs, a run and two stolen bases.
Hatch flawless for Decatur
Isaiah Hatch took to the mound as a starter for the first time all season against Emerald Ridge on Thursday night. He didn’t disappoint.
The game only took an hour and five minutes to complete after being delayed by the four extra innings played in the Beamer and Yelm game.
“I told the guys we had to get home before my bedtime, that was the deal,” Decatur coach Korey Sites said.
That was mostly because the Jaguars could not figure out how to get a hit or a walk off of Hatch. He pitched a complete game, walking four and surrendering a hit in the seventh inning.
He struck out six, including the last batter he faced in the game.
“We’ve used him as a closer until now,” Sites said. “For him to come in and just dominate is just absolutely awesome for the senior.”
Decatur scored two runs in the third inning on two hits and an error. William Fitzpatrick scored the first run of the night for Decatur.
Tyler Swanson brought home another run on a sacrifice fly and it turned out that was all they would need.
“To be able to play a good clean baseball like that and give ourselves a shot against Beamer, it’s just fantastic,” Sites said. “I’m confident we’ll play good baseball, which is all I ask. Beamer is good and you can never be overconfident against a team like them.”
Decatur and Beamer will meet for the fourth time this year at Heritage Recreation Center in Puyallup at 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 16. The winner will be guaranteed the fifth or sixth seed in the state playoffs. The winner will play the winner of Tahoma/Gig Harbor at 4 p.m. at Heritage Recreation Center.
Beamer defeated Decatur in the previous three games.
Max Dahlrymple makes contact with a ball in the fourth inning against Yelm. He reached on an error. He would also pitch two and a third scoreless innings. Terrence Hill, the Mirror
Taylor Davis after stealing a base in the fourth inning against Yelm. He had two RBIs in the inning. Terrence Hill, the Mirror
Isaiah Hatch threw a complete game shutout against Emerald Ridge. Terrence Hill, the Mirror
Tyler Swanson looks at his sacrifice fly to right field in the third inning. It was one of two runs in the inning. Terrence Hill, the Mirror
