PUYALLUP — The Skyview baseball team is accustomed to taking load road to make the Class 4A state tournament.
For three years now, the Storm have worked their way through the 4A bi-district consolation side to reach state.
It was no different Saturday. A 5-2 win over Kentlake at Rogers High School sealed up a state berth.
Head coach Seth Johnson credits his team’s leadership to why his team keeps persevering when their backs are against the wall. Skyview entered the bi-district tournament needing to win two loser-out contests to reach Saturday’s winner-to-state game.
“That’s what it’s all about,” senior pitcher Lowell Dunmire, who threw 5.1 innings to earn the win. “…. There’s nothing like playoff baseball.”
Skyview beat Olympia 11-3 in the fifth-place game later Saturday. The Storm advance to state and will face Inglemoor in Puyallup next Saturday.
Experience in the postseason matters, said senior Ryan Pitts.
“That prepares us for these types of big games,” said Pitts, the 4A Greater St. Helens League’s player of the year. “Everyone is out there ready to play and everybody is playing hard.”
Pitts closed the final 1.2 innings in relief with two strikeouts against the Falcons, including striking out lead-off hitter Colton Yanzick to end the game.
He also was key in Skyview’s offense that pounded out seven hits, going 2 for 4 with two RBI and a run scored.
His two-RBI single in the third inning was part of a three-run inning that gave the Storm the lead for good after trailing 2-0 after the first inning.
A groundout RBI by Noah Guyette and a sacrifice by Tyler Howard padded Skyview’s lead. Guyette finished 2 for 3 with a run scored and RBI.
Dunmire allowed two earned runs on six hit and struck out five and settled in after the Falcons grabbed a 2-0 first-inning lead.
