Hockinson baseball loses, gets second chance Saturday

CHEHALIS — The Hockinson baseball team is not done. The Hawks just suffered a setback Wednesday night in the Class 2A District 4 tournament.

Noah Sirkel hit a two-run home run in the top of the first inning, setting the tone for Tumwater in a 11-5 victory over Hockinson in a championship semifinal at W.F. West High School.

The Hawks fall into the consolation semifinals and will play league-rival Columbia River at 10 a.m. Saturday in an elimination game. The winner of that game will qualify for the regional round of the state tournament.

“We just got to get back to playing our game,” Hockinson’s Mitch Lines said. “We played a little tight tonight, a little nervous. Just have to go back to playing like we usually do and get the job done.”

Sirkel had the hit of the night and the defensive gem of the game for Tumwater.

His first-inning shot hit off the scoreboard, above the yellow line for the home run. He had no idea, though. He stopped at second base.

“The umpire said ‘Go the rest of the way around.’ I said, ‘OK,’ ” Sirkel said.

Sirkel added a run-scoring single in a three-run third inning to give Tumwater a 5-1 lead.

Hockinson had something going in the bottom of the fourth with the first two batters reaching base. Then Sirkel struck again, chasing down a ball in the gap and making a leaping catch. He got up and doubled-up a Hockinson runner who thought the ball was not going to be caught and was on his way home.

“I love playing center field, making good plays,” Sirkel said. “More exciting that getting hits, and your pitchers love you for it.”

Tumwater got three more in the fifth inning, highlighted by a two-run double by Dustin Doll.

Tumwater increased the lead to nine runs with three in the sixth inning.

Hockinson found some life in the bottom of the sixth, taking advantage of four walks and two hits to score four. Conner Newman had a two-run single.

Tumwater, though, got out of the jam, added a run in the top of the seventh and had an easy bottom of the seventh for the victory.

Lines, who had a run-scoring double for Hockinson’s first run of the game in the second inning, said the Hawks will be ready for Saturday’s win-or-done game.

“Have to regroup, focus up,” Lines said. “Go back to working hard in practice.”

TUMWATER 11, HOCKINSON 5

Tumwater 203 032 1–11 13 2

Hockinson 010 004 0–5 5 3

Tumwater

Pitcher — Trayten Rodriguez 5.1 IP, win, 5 Ks; Garrett Behrens .1 IP; Jakob Holbrook 1.1 IP. Highlights — Noah Sirkel 2-4, HR, 3 RBI; Jakob Holbrook 3-4, RBI; Noah Andrews 1-3, 2B; Zach Jones 1-3, RBI; Rodriguez 1-3; Dustin Doll 1-3, 2B, 2 RBI; Logan Hayes 1-3, RBI; Andrew Pullar 1-3, RBI; Jackson Davis 1-5, RBI;

Hockinson

Pitchers — Nikolas Niehaus 5 IP, loss; Sawyer Racanelli .2 IP; Lucas Ortner 1.1 IP. Highlights — Mitch Lines 2-4, 2B, RBI; Noah Stecher 1-1, 2B; Jake Beslanowitch 1-3, Conner Newman 1-3, 2 RBI.