RIDGEFIELD — Regardless of a humbling defeat Wednesday within the Class 2A District 4 semifinals, nothing has modified for the Hockinson baseball group.
That’s as a result of, after an 0-10 begin to the 2025 season, the Hawks stay within the hunt for a 2A state playoff berth heading right into a winner-to-state sport Saturday towards Aberdeen.
Hockinson suffered an 11-1 loss to Tumwater, the No. 2 seed from the 2A Evergreen Convention, in Wednesday’s semifinal at Ridgefield Outside Recreation Complicated, which ended within the fifth inning by way of the 10-run mercy rule.
A Thunderbirds group lots able to placing up large innings jumped out to a 3-0 lead within the first and saved their foot on the fuel pedal.
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The deficit reached 10 runs within the fourth inning when Jimmy Womach hit an RBI single and Charlie Crawford drove in two extra runs on a base hit earlier than scoring on a Hockinson error.
“You have to stay at one level with your energy. You can’t pick it up at certain times,” Hockinson coach Clay Foley stated. “Tumwater is so good … they’re well-coached (and) they have so many athletes. Their (energy) stayed the same the whole day.”
Tumwater beginning pitcher Luke Houk retired the primary 9 batters confronted by way of three innings. Hockinson’s Tyler Fehrer led off the fourth with a base hit, then scored the Hawks’ lone run on an Anthony Cline double.
Houk completed with 5 strikeouts, zero walks, two hits and one earned run throughout 5 innings towards the Hawks.
“We came out in a poor way, in a poor state of mind today but nothing is different on Saturday than it was today,” Foley stated, recounting his message to the group after the sport. “You’ve fought from 0-10 this year to get here. You have a choice to make — (if) we practice perfectly, the best we can Thursday and Friday, we can come take care of business Saturday.”
Because the No. 5 seed from the 2A GSHL, Hockinson’s path to the district semifinals was unconventional. After an 0-10 begin to the season, the Hawks received six of their final 9 common season video games within the league and needed to play their method into the playoffs by successful a pigtail sport final Saturday towards Centralia.
Then, Hockinson took down 2A GSHL and defending state champion Columbia River 5-0 Tuesday on the power of senior Graham Learing’s complete-game shutout on the mound.
“They’re the best kids in the world and I mean that, community-wise, everything … and we finally just came together,” Foley stated. “First we got on the same book, then we got to the same page in that book.”
Although the Hawks’ scorching streak was cooled by Tumwater (17-6), a perennial state energy, the expertise of taking part in on the next stage provides them an thought of what to anticipate Saturday towards Aberdeen (12-10), the 2A EvCo’s No. 3 seed. Their play of late has put them on this place, one win away from their first state playoff look since 2009.
“I’m excited for them, I’m happy, I’m not worried — not one bit with these guys,” Foley stated. “You’ve seen how they’ve played the last few weeks.”
W.F. WEST 11, R.A. LONG 1 — The 2A Evergreen Convention champion Bearcats reached the district championship sport after dealing with the Lumberjacks in a five-inning semifinal sport.
W.F. West beginning pitcher Grady Westlund restricted R.A. Lengthy to 2 hits, whereas putting out 4 over 5 innings and held the Lumberjacks scoreless by way of 4 innings.
The Bearcats opened up the sport throughout a four-run third inning, then added 5 extra runs after loading the bases with no outs to open the fourth.
Carlos Vallejo went 1-for-3 with a team-high three RBI, whereas Weston Potter and Miles Martin every went 2-for-3 with an RBI.
W.F. West will face 2A EvCo foe Tumwater in Saturday’s district championship sport at 5 p.m.
R.A. Lengthy takes on Ridgefield in a winner-to-state sport Saturday at 2 p.m.
RIDGEFIELD 8, COLUMBIA RIVER 7 — Wyatt Hemmelman’s walk-off RBI single within the backside of the seventh capped a four-run rally to maintain the Spudders’ season alive.
Ridgefield picked up its first win of the season towards River, the 2A GSHL champion, regardless of trailing by as many as three runs within the fifth inning after River broke a 4-4 tie on a Conrad Pfeifer RBI, plus a bases-loaded stroll and hit batter.
The Spudders’ comeback started in earnest when Liam Ostrom hit a two-run house run within the sixth inning. Jared Gottsch then hit a triple and scored the tying on a pop fly pushed by the wind that dropped into play close to house plate.
Ridgefield reliever Henry Wikstrom stranded two River baserunners to get out of the seventh, organising Hemmelman for the game-winning hit with two outs and the bases loaded.
Gottsch went 3-for-4 with a double, triple and two RBI, Liam Ostrom hit a team-high three RBI and Caleb Tortora went 3-for-5 with a triple.
River’s Charley Eisenhauer and Harrison Hoffarth every led the Rapids with two RBI.
ABERDEEN 5, MARK MORRIS 1 — The Bobcats flipped momentum throughout a two-out fourth inning rally and scored 5 unanswered runs towards the Monarchs in a loser-out sport.
Three straight RBI from Donovan Hedgpeth, Chad Fretts and Gabe Matthews, the latter two on extra-base hits, gave Aberdeen a 3-1 lead. The Bobcats added to that cushion with RBI from Aiden Baker and Mason Hill.
Aberdeen pitcher Bubba Jones tossed a whole sport with six strikeouts, three walks and 5 hits scattered over seven innings. Mark Morris scored its lone run on a Tucker Morrow RBI floor out to attain Deker Bartell within the third inning.
Aberdeen, which prolonged its playoff run after grabbing a comeback win towards Washougal in a district pigtail sport Saturday, advances to play Hockinson in a winner-to-state, loser-out sport Saturday at 11 a.m.
