There was a walk. A balk. Then an error in the first inning.
Unfortunately for the Camas baseball team, that trend of miscues continued in the second inning, as well.
Highline of Burien scored a run in the first, added five more in the second — all unearned — and held on to beat the Papermakers 6-5 Tuesday in the opening round of the Class 3A bi-district baseball tournament at Propstra Stadium.
While Highline advances to the state tournament, Camas falls into the consolation bracket and must win today to advance to state.
Camas will face Hazen of Renton today in Puyallup.
“It’s tough to come out here and lose a game like that,” Camas pitcher Taylor Williams said. “To have errors like that is unlike us. We haven’t had a game like that since (last year).”
That second inning will give the Papermakers a tough night’s sleep.
Highline’s Logan Brickell’s two-out single was followed by a Camas error to extend the inning.
That allowed for Luke Werle’s run-scoring double to make it 2-0. After an intentional walk, Williams induced a ground ball that was booted for another error and a 3-0 Highline advantage.
With the bases still loaded, Jonny Locher slapped a grounder toward first base, and the ball took a wicked hop over the fielder and spun away from the Camas defenders. It turned into a bad-bounce, three-run triple.
“I was just trying to hit the ball hard,” Locher said. “Luckily, it hit the lip or something. Sometimes that’s what it takes to win.”
Or in Camas’ case, to lose.
The Papermakers responded with three runs in the fourth, then a run in the fifth and sixth innings to close the gap.
“I’m proud of our guys and they way they played,” Williams said. “We came back and made it a game.”
But it all came back to that second frame.
“That one inning just bit us,” Camas coach Joe Hallead said. “I told the guys, if we play defense, we probably win the game 5-1. We missed some key ones, and that cost us the game.”
Williams pitched into the seventh inning. He struck out five batters and did not give up an earned run.
The Camas defense was flawless in the final five innings, as well.
“Taylor pitched awesome. He was dominant,” Hallead said. “Taylor amazes me every time he goes on the mound. He just does a really good job keeping us in the ball game.”
Williams also provided Camas’ first spark on offense with a two-run triple in the fourth inning. He would score on a single by Kurt Yinger to make it 6-3.
Derek Atkinson hit a solo home run in the fifth inning. And in the sixth, Williams drew a walk, advanced to second on a wild pitch, got to third on a ground out, then raced home on another wild pitch.
The Papermakers got five hits in six innings off of Highline starter Lee Carson.
Ryan Brett pitched the seventh for the save, giving up a two-out walk.
Now, the Papermakers must get focused on today’s game, a loser-out situation.
“We’re not out of it yet,” Williams said. “We’re going to play with confidence.”
“I think they’re going to go out there and put a really good game together,” Hallead said.
