Heck, he created a couple of them all by himself.

Then he got out of them all by himself.

Blake struck out nine batters in three innings of relief, preserving Heritage’s 9-5 victory over Prairie in the semifinals of the Class 4A District 4 baseball tournament at Propstra Stadium.

Heritage will play Battle Ground in the district championship game Thursday with a berth to state on the line. The loser of Thursday’s game will then host a one-game playoff Saturday, a final chance to get to field of 16.

The Timberwolves kept alive their hopes with two wins Monday. They rallied for a 7-6 victory over Skyview in the first round, then held on against Prairie in the semifinals.

“I thrive off pressure,” Blake said. “I love the excitement.”

The Timberwolves also enjoyed getting the better of the Falcons. Heritage, the 2007 4A Greater St. Helens League champion, lost to Prairie in the district title game a year ago, then lost each matchup with the Falcons this season.

“It was a little payback,” Blake said. “We lost three straight times to them this year. We weren’t going to lose to them again. We were tired of it.”

The Timberwolves struck early and never trailed in the semifinal game.

Nick Coale hit a three-run home run in the top of the first inning, his second blast of the season.

“That was the one that counted,” he said with a smile. “It was nice to have a breakout day.”

Coale later doubled in a run, driving in four for the game.

The Falcons, meanwhile, failed to take advantage of several opportunities. Heritage’s three pitchers walked 11 batters and hit two more. Yet Prairie managed three hits on the night and stranded 12 base runners, including 10 in the final four innings.

The sixth inning proved pivotal.

Holding a two-run lead, Blake walked the first two Falcons before striking out home-run threat Taylor Ard. After another walk to load the bases, Blake struck out the next two batters to maintain Heritage’s advantage.

The Timberwolves would add some insurance in the top of the seventh after pinch hitter Jordon Provinsal’s two-out double. Alex Foulon later added a two-run single for the 9-5 advantage.

Blake walked two more batters in the bottom of the inning, but once again struck out the side.

“I knew I was going to buckle down. It was just a matter of time,” Blake said. “Everyone believed in each other, and that was key.”

Same thing in the first game of the day.

Skyview scored two runs in the top of the seventh to take a 6-5 lead, only to see Blake respond in the bottom of the frame with a run-scoring single to send the game to extras.

Foulon came through in the eighth with the game-winning single with two outs and the bases loaded.

Heritage won the 2007 league title with several talented seniors, Blake and Coale agreed that it was important for this year’s Timberwolves to keep the program’s momentum going in 2008. They did not win a league championship, but they are back in the district title game.

“It’s nice to make Heritage a name,” Coale said. “We turned the program around last year, and now this year.”