Pair of aces lead King’s Way baseball to 1A regional final win

CASTLE ROCK — As Sam Lauderdale was celebrating with teammates outside the dugout, he caught the eye of his beaming grandmother, walked over and gave her a wide-armed hug.

As they embraced, she slipped him a bill, which he then clasped in the same hand that held the game ball.

Ever since Little League, she slipped him a little bit of money after a good game. It’s a ritual they’ve developed over the years, and Lauderdale says the money now goes toward college.

On Saturday, he did just about everything he could to deserve his grandmother’s praise.

The senior Washington State commit dealt 13 strikeouts, gave up two hits and no walks in a 4-0 shutout win over La Center in the 1A regional final at Castle Rock High School.

His outing, which at times left Wildcats flabbergasted and even helpless at the plate, booked the Knights a return trip to the 1A state semifinals next weekend in Yakima.

And to Lauderdale, it proved to King’s Way’s doubters — whether real or perceived — that the Knights are every bit the team they were hyped up to be at the beginning of the season.

“I’m overwhelmed,” Lauderdale said. “We had a lot of hype going into the season and everyone thought it was going to be a fluke, and we just wanted to prove everyone wrong. As soon as I struck out that last guy I just wanted to drop to my knees and cry. This is like a band of brothers, I’ve never had any (team) like this.”

That King’s Way and La Center wound up playing each other in the regional final was because of two dominating wins in the first round earlier in the day.

La Center rode a 12 strikeout, two-hit outing by freshman pitcher Irving Alvarez and Saige Keep’s perfect 4 for 4 game at-bat to beat Bellevue Christian 5-1 in the morning game.

Right afterward, Damon Casetta-Stubbs made quick work of Meridian, burning through seven innings with eight strikeouts, two hits and no walks in 69 pitches. The Knights beat Meridian 1-0 in 1 hour and 6 minutes.

King’s Way coach Gregg Swensen said it was the quickest seven inning game he’s ever coached — and the fastest seven innings Casetta-Stubbs has ever pitched.

So fast, that the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association moved up the regional final start time by an hour and 15 minutes. 

“You’ve got a really good chance if you’ve got Stubbs and Lauderdale going one-two,” Swenson said.

But for the Knights, beating La Center was not a given.

La Center beat King’s Way two of the three times they played in the regular season. The two finished 9-3 in the Trico League standings, and a coin flip gave the Knights the seeding nod at districts.

Now, the Knights head into the state semifinals with experience.

The core of their roster was there last year and won the title. Their coach, despite being in his first year at KWC, led Sehome to the semis once upon a time, and has coached in NCAA tournaments with his over 15 years of college coaching experience — including at Washington State and Tim Lincecum-led Washington.

Swenson’s experience in college is one of the reasons he tells Lauderdale to pitch with an edge.

“He wants me to be cocky on the mound,” Lauderdale said.

That was in Lauderdale’s mind as he approached the mound in the seventh inning with a 4-0 lead and three outs in the way of a state semifinal berth.

Go figure, the lefty went three up, three down.

“I know they have a couple good hitters — like Saige Keep,” Lauderdale said. “I know you might touch this, but today you’re not going to. Today is my game.”

Perhaps that’s what caught the eye of the kid who approached him for an autograph after the game or convinced his grandmother to follow through on their ritual.

But the Wildcats went down fighting.

Though Lauderdale made it tough, La Center got in scoring position multiple times. Keep and Clint Smith each had a double.

La Center coach Rob Williamson expressed how proud he was of his team after the season-ending loss.

“I’ve had most of these kids, especially the seniors, since they were 8 and 9-year olds,” Williamson said. “(The seniors) laid the groundwork for the young guys. Now the regional final is an expectation.”

1A REGIONAL BASEBALL FINAL
At Castle Rock High School

LA CENTER 5, BELLEVUE CHRISTIAN 1
La Center 113 000 0 — 5 10 3
Bellv. Chr. 100 000 0 — 1 2 2
La Center
Pitching — Irving Alvarez 7.0 IP, 2 H, 12 K, 1 BB. Highlights — Saige Keep 4-4, 1 R, 2B; Clint Smith 2-4, 2 R; Tom Lambert 2-3, 1 RBI.
Bellevue Christian
Pitching — Eric Kats 3.0 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 4 BB; Jeff Jewett 4.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K; Highlights — Trent Paulson 1-3; Daniel Teramoto 1 R; Jackson Russell 1-3.

KING’S WAY 1, MERIDIAN 0
Meridian 000 000 0 — 0 2 1
King’s Way 001 000 x — 1 4 1
Meridian
Pitching — Simon Burkett 6.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 K; Highlights — Dylan Hickok 1-3, 2B; Cole Weidkamp 1-3.
King’s Way
Pitching — Damon Casetta-Stubbs 7.0 IP, 8 K, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 69 pitches; Highlights — Brannan Meriwether 2-3, 1 RBI; Riley Danberg 1-2; Bryce Dodge 1-2, 1 R.

KING’S WAY 4, LA CENTER 0
La Center 000 000 0 — 0 3 2
King’s Way 010 021 x — 4 11 0
La Center
Pitching — Clint Smith 6.0 IP, 11 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 1 K; Highlights —Saige Keep 1-3, 2B; Clint Smith 1-3, 2B; Hayden Williamson 1-3.
King’s Way
Pitching — Sam Lauderdale 7.0 IP, 13 K, 0 ER, 3 H, 0 BB, 93 pitches; Highlights — Damon Casetta-Stubbs 2-3, 1 R, 2 RBI, HR; Blake Scully 2-3, 2B; Riley Buehler 2-4, 1 R; Bryce Dodge 1-2, 1 R; Brannan Meriwether 2-4, 1 R.