Alex McGarry’s dash around the bases for a walk-off, inside-the-park home run to give the Chieftains a 5-4 win over Seattle Prep was the highlight for the Chieftains.
They just did not have enough to get past Sumner in the Bellevue regional final.
“I just hugged. I didn’t share much,” senior Taylor Easterly said of the Circle of Honor. “I just told people I loved them.”
This team, he said, has a special bond.
“It’s family. It’s been my family the last four years,” he said.
Paul Meister, a junior, said it is tough to say goodbye to the seniors, guys he has been playing ball with most of his life.
“I talked a lot about how I love them and how I’m going to miss them,” Meister said.
This is the third year in the past five seasons the Chieftains have lost in the elite eight.
“At the end of the day, it’s about making great memories,” Columbia River coach Stephen Donohue said. “That’s what they did.”
They would like to forget about the last game, though.
Sumner scored two unearned runs in the first inning, then added another run after a fluke two-out hit extended the third inning.
“They punished us when we made mistakes,” Donohue said.
Columbia River beat Sumner in the bi-district tournament.
“If we played them 10 times, we’d probably split,” Donohue said. “Baseball’s a cruel game.”
Sterling Greer and Nick Nygard drove in the runs for River in the top of the sixth inning to make it 3-2. Sumner, though, added two in the bottom of the frame to account for the final score.
“We fought hard,” Easterly said. “Just weren’t able to come away with a win.”
Meister will be one of the returners in 2017, hoping to get River deep into the playoffs again.
“It’s hard to think about next year when we’re feeling so much emotion about this year,” Meister said. “I am excited to play again.”
Plus, the Chieftains will always have that one play Sunday to draw inspiration.
Down one with a runner on first, McGarry blasted a shot to the fence, some 402 feet away, then circled the bases and beat the tag at the plate for a River victory.
The day did not end with a River win, but it did end with honor for the Chieftains.
SUMNER 5, COLUMBIA RIVER 2
C. River 000 002 0–2 7 1
Sumner 201 002 x–5 8 1
Columbia River
Pitchers — Taylor Easterly 4 IP, loss, 1 ER; Dakota Mason 1 IP; Brian Rice 1 IP. Highlights — Alex McGarry 2-4; Taylor Easterly 1-3; Garrett McKee 1-3; Brian Rice 1-4; Paul Meister 1-4; Sterling Greer 0-1, RBI; Nick Nygard 1-1, RBI.
Sumner
Pitchers — Gabe Smith 5+ IP, win; Nathan Harrell 2 IP, save. Highlights — Tristan Wilhite 1-2; Taurus Kukahiko 1-1, 2B, 2 RBI; Jake Gehri 1-4; Josiah Fidecara 1-4, RBI; Tyson Rainwater 1-2; Nathan Harrell 1-4, RBI; Noah Massey 1-4; Ben Wilson 1-2, RBI.
