Cruisers Rally for Emotional Extra-Inning Win at Cheney Stadium
- Skip Smith
- 3 hours ago
- 3 min read
The Eatonville High School baseball team went 2-1 last week, highlighted by a dramatic walk-off win and an extra-inning slugfest at Cheney Stadium, improving to 4-7 overall and 3-4 in league play.
On Tuesday, April 15, the Cruisers edged Steilacoom 7-6 at home in a wild, back-and-forth contest that ended with Waylon Berg getting hit by a pitch to drive in the game-winning run in the bottom of the seventh. Eatonville took an early 5-2 lead in the third before multiple errors allowed Steilacoom to tie it. Brody Thirtyacre, Owen Archer, and Justen Koch combined for four hits and three RBIs from the bottom of the order. Archer earned the win in relief, and Thirtyacre chipped in with two hits and an RBI.
The following day, Eatonville dropped a tight 8-6 game at Steilacoom despite another early lead. Errors proved costly as the Sentinels capitalized on miscues in the fourth to take control. Ethan Evans doubled in a run, and Aaron Tozier and Koch also drove in runs. Ben Smith took the loss on the mound.
Eatonville closed out the week with an extra-innings thriller on Thursday, April 17, defeating Mount Tahoma 12-9 in a wild contest played at Cheney Stadium in Tacoma. Before the game, the team honored fallen teammate Jason Naro, who passed away, with an emotional first pitch thrown out by his mother, Becca DePersio. The tribute set the tone for a game filled with heart and resilience.
Mount Tahoma jumped out to a quick lead, capitalizing on an Eatonville error and an RBI single from Ronin Dijos in the first inning. A two-run double by Carson Roll in the second pushed the Thunderbirds' lead to 4-0. Eatonville chipped away at the lead, finally breaking through in the fifth when Santiago Ruvalcaba singled to center to score two runs, followed by a two-run double down the left field line by Brody Thirtyacre to give the Cruisers a 5-4 edge.
Mount Tahoma answered in the bottom of the sixth, retaking a 7-6 lead after scoring on a groundout, a single from Dijos, and a passed ball. But Thirtyacre came through again, delivering a game-tying RBI triple in the top of the seventh to knot the game at 8-8. After Mount Tahoma extended the game with a single by DJ Geddis in the bottom half of the inning, the Cruisers broke it open in the eighth.
Aaron Leiter singled in the go-ahead run to make it 9-8, and Koch followed with a two-run triple to deep right-center. An additional insurance run scored on a passed ball, giving Eatonville a four-run cushion heading into the bottom of the eighth.
Justen Koch, who also earned the win on the mound in relief, closed things out with a clean eighth. Koch pitched one and one-third innings, allowing no earned runs. Thirtyacre also delivered on the mound, tossing four and a third innings of strong relief with seven strikeouts, helping keep the game close after Mount Tahoma's early surge.
Offensively, Eatonville racked up 10 hits. Thirtyacre led the way, going 2-for-3 with four RBIs and falling a home run short of the cycle. Ruvalcaba added two hits, two RBIs, and two stolen bases. Koch and Leiter also had clutch hits in the late innings. As a team, the Cruisers swiped five bags and showed aggressive base running all game.
With the win, Eatonville picked up momentum heading into a critical two-game series against Franklin Pierce on April 22 and 23. The Cardinals currently sit just ahead of the Cruisers in the league standings, making both games key for playoff positioning.
Comentarios