How Toutle Lake baseball made another run to the final 4 at state
Toutle Lake baseball came into this year's 2B State Baseball Tournament as the No. 10 seed.
On Saturday, the Ducks beat No. 7 Mount Vernon Christian and No. 2 Kittitas at Parker Faller Field in Yakima to advance to the semifinals for the fourth time in the last five years.
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For Toutle Lake coach Chris Byrd, there was no doubt that his team could make it this far, and the Ducks have plans to go even further.
"We were pretty confident in our team and what we're capable of," he said. "We're looking to win a championship."
Toutle Lake baseball: Dominic Rivera
Toutle Lake's Dominic Rivera yells in excitement during the 2B State Baseball Tournament quarterfinals against Kittitas on Saturday, May 23, at Parker Faller Field in Yakima. The Ducks beat the Coyotes 20-19 in a long battle to advance to the semifinals for the fourth time in the last five years.
It was a worthwhile, but long trip to Yakima for the team. The Ducks left at 7 a.m. on Saturday and returned around 1 a.m. on Sunday. Aside from the three-hour trip each way, the Ducks' game against Kittitas in the quarterfinals lasted about four hours, with 429 pitches thrown, 31 hits, and 32 walks between the two teams. The contest lasted so long that the sprinklers and lights even came on before it was over.
"I've never been a part of anything like that," Byrd said. "We just battled and battled like a couple of heavyweight fighters."
Oliver Foster led Toutle Lake at the plate with four hits and two RBIs. Easton White, Ryan Kilponen, Timber Buker, and Dominic Rivera each had three hits with five, three, two, and one RBI(s), respectively. Baylee Webb had two hits and one RBI while Jakob Gorley tallied an RBI. Webb, White, and Buker each registered doubles. Toutle Lake had five players pitch in the game, with Rivera picking up the win.
Toutle Lake baseball: Easton White
Toutle Lakes's Easton White yells in excitement during the 2B State Baseball Tournament quarterfinals against Kittitas on Saturday, May 23, at Parker Faller Field in Yakima. White had three hits, including a double, and five RBIs against the Coyotes. In the game prior against Mount Vernon Christian, he totaled two hits and two RBIs with a double.
Down 16-13 after six innings, Toutle Lake scored 6 runs in the top of the seventh to take the lead. Three walks loaded up the bases before Buker hit an RBI single. The Ducks then scored on a Kittitas error followed by an RBI grounder from White that tied the game. Toutle Lake took the lead on an RBI single from Rivera and then Webb smashed an RBI double prior to an RBI single from Foster.
The Coyotes scored 3 runs in the bottom of the seventh to send the game into extra innings. In the top of the eighth, Ryan Kilponen hit an RBI single to score the game-winning run. Kittatas got two runners on base in the bottom of the frame, but the Ducks held them from scoring and came home with a monumental victory.
Prior to their dramatic win over the Coyotes, the Ducks handily beat Mount Vernon Christian 12-2 in the opening round. In that game, they totaled 12 hits as Rivera, White, Foster, and Josh Hanson each had two while Buker, Webb, Kilponen, and Gorley each tallied one. Hanson hit two doubles while Rivera and White each had one.
Toutle Lake baseball: Dominic Rivera
Toutle Lake's Dominic Rivera slides into home plate during the 2B State Baseball Tournament quarterfinals against Kittitas on Saturday, May 23, at Parker Faller Field in Yakima. Rivera had three hits and one RBI while picking up the win on the mound against the Coyotes. In the game prior versus Mount Vernon Christian, he totaled two hits and three RBIs with a double.
Rivera also led the squad with three RBIs while Hanson, Webb, White, and Foster each had two. Buker tallied an RBI as well.
"We hit the heck out the ball," Byrd said.
Webb pitched for all five innings, giving away just four hits and 1 earned run while striking out six batters to earn the win.
The Ducks (20-6) are set to take another three-hour trip when they face off against No. 3 Napavine at 10 a.m. on Friday at Carlon Park in Selah. Toutle Lake split with the Tigers during the regular season, falling 14-4 before shutting them down 8-0, but Napavine got the best of them in the district semifinals in a 12-2 decision.
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"I think Napavine is the best team that we have seen in two years," Byrd said. "I think we can beat anybody, and we beat them once, so we're gonna attempt to do it again."
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