CAMAS — It was Kurt Yinger’s 18th birthday Friday, and he threw a party by throwing a gem.
His party turned into a bash when it came to his batting, too.
By the end of the day, the Camas fans were singing to Yinger, and the Camas baseball players were celebrating at least a co-league championship.
Yinger struck out 12, threw a three-hitter, and did not yield an earned run, leading Camas to a 4-1 victory over Mountain View. He also got it done at the plate, going 3 for 3 with a two-run double.
The Papermakers, ranked No. 1 in the state by the Seattle Times, improved to 11-0 in the Class 3A Greater St. Helens League, a game ahead of No. 6 Mountain View.
Friday’s win only clinches a share of the league title for Camas. To secure the No. 1 seed, the Papermakers will have to beat Mountain View again Saturday.
The two teams play at 1 p.m. at Mountain View. If the Thunder prevail to force a tie in the league standings, the teams will play again at 4 p.m. for the top seed to next week’s district tournament.
Camas (18-0, 11-0) remained unbeaten with a four-run first inning. The first five Papermakers reached base, and the next hit a sacrifice fly.
Yinger’s two-run double gave the Papermakers a 3-1 lead. He did the rest from the mound.
“I just felt really focused today,” Yinger said. “I had a good warm-up. It was one of those days I felt like I was challenging hitters and I was throwing a lot of strikes. That helped me be successful.”
Mountain View got an unearned run in the top of the first inning after an error extended the frame. Riley O’Dell’s base hit scored P.J. Jones, who was ruled safe on a bang-bang play at the plate.
Camas shortstop Logan Grindy ended the second inning with a diving scoop of a hard grounder and then a toss to second for a force-out. In the sixth inning, he snared two line drives with a runner on base to end a Mountain View threat.
“Our defense has made a lot of plays this year,” Yinger said. “As pitchers, we rely heavily on them. Everyone’s doing their best, and we’re winning games.”
Mountain View pitcher Zach Torson was just as strong as Yinger after that first inning. He struck out nine in his six-inning complete game, never having more than one runner on base at a time in the final five frames.
“He just threw the biggest game we’ve ever played in,” Mountain View coach Aaron Coiteux said, referring to the fact that the Thunder have not been in a situation like this — playing for a league title — in more than a decade. “After that first inning, he started rolling.”
Camas coach Joe Hallead sought out Torson after the game to congratulate him for his performance.
“I think he showed a lot of heart,” Hallead said. “For him to come back after that first inning like that. He pitched five more innings and basically shut us down.”
With Yinger on the mound for Camas, though, that three-run lead after the first gave the Papermakers a bunch of confidence.
“It felt good to jump on them early and get the momentum,” Grindy said.
John Welborn walked, stole second, then came home on Nate Culver’s single. Austin Barr and Grindy followed with singles to load the bases for Yinger, who blasted his double. Jeremy Faulkner then scored Grindy on a sacrifice fly.
The stakes are nearly the same Saturday. Camas already has at least a share of the title, but Mountain View wants a piece of it, too.
“We’re still greedy,” Hallead said. “We want it by ourselves.”
