Top-ranked Eastside Catholic falls

Fresh off a two-game sweep over former-No.1 ranked Bishop Blanchet to end the regular season and a 21-2 victory over Chief Sealth in the opening game of the Metro Tournament, Eastside Catholic was knocked out with two-consecutive losses, including a 8-6 loss to West Seattle on Friday at Chief Sealth High School.

By Joel Willits • May 13, 2008 2:55 pm
Newport’s Will Pierce reaches out to tag Issaquah’s Kyle Sutherland (16) at Bannerwood Park on May 8.
Newport’s Will Pierce reaches out to tag Issaquah’s Kyle Sutherland (16) at Bannerwood Park on May 8.

Newport Knights also eliminated

from post-season

Fresh off a two-game sweep over former-No.1 ranked Bishop Blanchet to end the regular season and a 21-2 victory over Chief Sealth in the opening game of the Metro Tournament, Eastside Catholic was knocked out with two-consecutive losses, including a 8-6 loss to West Seattle on Friday at Chief Sealth High School.

The Crusaders (20-3) found themselves knocked out of post-season contention thanks to a disastrous fifth inning in which the Wildcats scored eight times to rally from a 4-0 deficit.

Eastside Catholic scored twice in the bottom of the seventh but couldn’t get any more runs past West Seattle (15-7) closer Austin Lastimado.

Spenser Payne did his best to keep the Crusaders in the game, hitting two-run home runs in the first and seventh innings. Galen Howard-Markley did most of the damage for West Seattle, hitting two doubles and knocking in four runs.

The Crusaders were forced into the must-win game thanks to a 10-6 loss to eventual tournament champion Seattle Prep.

The Panthers (17-6) scored four runs before the Crusaders were able to push two across in the bottom of the second. Jon Humphrie hit a two-run home run for Seattle Prep, who scored four times in the top of the seventh to break a 6-6 tie and beat Eastside Catholic.

Prep beat Bishop Blanchet 8-5 on Saturday to win the Metro League Title.

The Crusaders finished the season as the Metro League regular season champions, but were doomed by its first two-game losing streak of the year.

Newport can’t get past Skyline

Kristofer Hedberg and Ryan Gilchrist hit home runs to help Skyline take a 7-1 lead and the Spartans held on to win 8-6, eliminating the Knights in a loser-out game at Bannerwood Park in the KingCo 3A tournament on May 10.

The Knights (13-9) rallied to scored five runs on six hits in the sixth inning, but couldn’t score again in the loss.

Brandon Andreini took the loss for Newport, while Blake Fulghum got the win for Skyline.

Newport had been playing without its top-two players, Blake Gibbs and Collin Bennett, after the pair collided in the outfield during a 17-5 Knight win on April 30 against Sammamish.

That collision caused Gibbs, who will play at Oregon State next season, to tear his anterior cruciate ligament, his medial collateral ligament and meniscus in one of his knees.

Bennett, a Washington State recruit, suffered internal bleeding from a lacerated kidney.

Issaquah won the KingCo 3A tournament and a state berth with a 10-9 win over Liberty. The Eagles, last years Class 3A state champions, finished third place in the regular season.