Two of the best high school baseball teams in the state will square off today, and we're not even to the first round of state yet.
Meanwhile, two teams that have exceeded all expectations but their own will face each other with the hopes of being next in the crosshairs.
High school baseball may wind down next week at Safeco Field for the final four, but the drama really cranks up today in the one-and-done world of regional playoffs.
Southridge (19-5) entertains Greater Spokane League No. 2 University (20-3) today at 4 p.m., while Kamiakin (14-10) makes a trek to Spokane to play surprise GSL district champ Lewis & Clark (15-8).
The winners of the two games will play each other in the first round of state Saturday at Richland.
The Suns, who were ranked No. 1 in the 4A halfway through the season, have had an up-and-down stretch run and continued that inconsistent play into the postseason.
"I told the team, we didn't exactly play our best baseball, but we found a way to win two out of three games," said Southridge coach Tim Sanders, "and we're in the situation we wanted to be in.
"I like our chances."
It's likely the Suns' potent lineup that saw three hitters finish the regular season at .500 or better will be up against
U-Hi ace Billy Moon. The Titans kept Moon on the bench in their 9-1 loss to L-C in districts, hoping to save him for the championship game. Instead, he came through in a loser-out contest against Mead, the second seed that was knocked off in the other side of the bracket.
Sanders doesn't doubt for a second that Moon won't be on the mound today.
"Obviously in a loser-out deal, you don't want your best guy sitting there," he said.
The Suns have several arms to choose from. The most effective of late has been senior lefty Jay Fox (6-1), who has given up just one earned run in his last 13 innings, cutting his ERA almost in half to 2.90.
Kamiakin, which has underclassmen throughout its lineup and on the mound, finished the regular season winning seven of nine and then split four district games. In the Braves' two district losses to Southridge, they put up better numbers in every category but the one that counted -- runs.
Lewis & Clark, which was seeded fifth in the GSL district tournament, also got hot in the second half and has won 12 of 13 games.
"You get to this stage, the pitching's better, the consequences are greater," Sanders said. "The team that dials their hearts down has an edge."
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Preview: Final 4 ultimate goal for Mid-Columbia girls soccer
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Seven Mid-Columbia teams reached the 2010 girls state soccer tournament -- Chiawana (4A), Southridge and Hanford (3A), Othello and Prosser (2A), Kiona-Benton (1A) and Warden (2B).
Many of the same players have taken their place on the pitch in 2011. That could tell you one of two things: 1) The players who went to state want to return, and 2) the players who didn't will be even more eager to go.
Either way, area soccer fans are in for an exciting season.
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KENNEWICK -- Years from now, when Heather Johnson recalls scoring the 100th goal of her high school career, she'll remember many of the details that made the night special on a frigid November evening at Southridge High School.
The Suns' all-state senior forward will recall watching the ball come off her left foot and make the slow, excrutiating journey inside the right post. She'll remember Southridge coach Greg Sambrano calling for the ball before the ensuing kickoff, making sure to set it aside so she could cherish the memory later.
Mostly, Johnson will remember that her historic goal was critical to her team's latest triumph, a 4-3 win over University in the 3A Eastern Washington regional semifinals Wednesday.
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Steve Graff has been around the block a few times.
The Chiawana coach who led Pasco High School to three 4A state titles knows it's necessary to have a contingency plan in case an injury or two should befall his program.
The latest injury hit Graff with the force of an all-CBBN linebacker.
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Southridge, Johnson double up Hanford 2-1
KENNEWICK -- Heather Johnson is used to getting a lot of attention on a soccer field.
Luckily for the Southridge girls soccer team, she knows how to use that to her advantage.
Johnson, the 2010 3A player of the year, scored a goal and assisted on Hannah Sanders' eventual game-winner Tuesday during the Suns' 2-1 CBBN 3A victory at Southridge High School.
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Kennewick manhandles Southridge 35-7 (w/ gallery, video)
Postseason seeding and a home playoff game on the line, a raucous homecoming crowd to entertain and a heated rival on the other sideline.
The Kennewick Lions picked a perfect game to put forth one of their best efforts.
Grant Woods piled up 162 of Kennewick's 298 yards on the ground, Bryce Leavitt threw for two scores and ran for another, and the Lions' defense turned away two threats in the first half and then turned out the lights in a 35-7 win over the Southridge Suns in a key CBBN 3A contest Friday at Lampson Stadium.
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