Dayton Bulldogs win first state baseball championship by knocking off top two seeds

SELAH - The Southeast 1B was well represented this past weekend during the conclusion of the Class 1B state baseball championships on Wood Field at Carlon Park.

But instead of the powerhouse programs with already overflowing trophy cases in DeSales and Liberty Christian, it was No. 4 Dayton - playing in its third ever state tournament and first final four - that upset each of the top two seeds on its way to its first state championship in program history.

The Bulldogs (20-3-1) beat No. 1 Liberty Christian 5-4 on Friday, a day before knocking off No. 2 Naselle 7-4 in the Saturday night finale in Selah.

Trailing 2-1 entering the top of the seventh on Friday, Jordan McCowen put the Bulldogs in front with at two-run single and Colton Steinhoff brought him home with a triple before scoring on a Denver Hutchins sacrifice fly. The Patriots scored twice more in the seventh, but McCowen, after taking over for Dylan Brown, managed to get the final three outs and finish the upset of the defending champions and end their undefeated season.

Hutchens doubled to help Dayton built a 3-0 first-inning lead Saturday, but the Comets would respond with four straight runs to take the lead. Steinhoff tied it by scoring on an error in the fifth, and another Naselle error scored Raymond Yutzy and Dylan Brown in the sixth before Steinhoff brought McCowen home for the game's final run.

McCowen struck out nine over five innings before Hutchens closed the door on the Comets and recorded the final six outs - five via strikeout.

The 2024 champion Irish (12-11) drew the 11th seed in the 12-team tournament and needed loser-out upsets over No. 6 Quilcene and No. 3 Almira-Coulee-Hartline to reach Selah for its third final four in four years. They fell to Naselle 13-12 in the other semifinal and placed fourth after a 1-0 loss to the Patriots on Saturday.

In its semifinal Friday, the Irish overcame an 11-5 deficit before roaring back to take a 12-11 lead thanks in part to two-run singles by Sam Kold an Tyce Wood. But a two-run double in the seventh gave the Comets a walk-off win.

Kolb struck out eight Saturday, but one unearned run was the difference in the matchup of the past two state champions.

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