Brown, Irwin lead Kamiakin to 3A regional baseball title

Tyson Brown had never hit a high school home run — until Tuesday.

Brown belted a two-run homer in the second inning and drove in three runs on the day to help Kamiakin to a 7-4 victory over host Southridge in the 3A Mid-Columbia Conference/Greater Spokane League regional title game.

“I was just happy to put some runs on the board,” said Brown, the Braves’ senior designated hitter. “We are hitting pitches well. We are ready to keep going.”

Kamiakin won its first regional title since 2012, the same year it won the 3A state title.

“I am so proud of our kids,” Braves coach Ryan Carter said. “Their toughness and competitive spirit are clicking at the right time. Our 3-4-5-6 guys did what they are paid to do. They are doing a good job playing solid baseball and letting it ride. You want to play your best baseball now, and we are.”

The Braves will host the No. 7 seed from District 2 in a loser-out game Saturday in as 3A glue crossover game. A time has not yet been announced.

Southridge played Mt. Spokane in a loser-out game following the loss to Kamiakin. Mt. Spokane beat Kennewick 3-2 in a loser-out game to start the day’s tripleheader.

“They came out with energy, which is not our style, but it worked for them,” Southridge coach Tim Sanders said. “They earned everything they got. (Kamiakin starter Nick) Irwin got in a little tough spot, but wiggled his way out, and their center fielder (Ryan Dearing) was running balls down. Now we have to get a win against another good team.”

Kamiakin belted out nine hits, including three doubles and two home runs, and Irwin offered up 6 1/3 innings of solid pitching.

“He competed after he gave up that home run to (Mason) Martin,” Carter said. “I was proud of him.”

The Braves got on the board in the first with a RBI single by Brown, then had a monster third inning with an RBI double by Payton Flynn and Brown’s home run for a 4-0 lead.

“We were really hungry going into the game,” said Flynn, who hit two doubles and drove in a run. “We are happy to come out and get the win. We were hitting the ball, and everyone was doing their job.”

The Suns got two runs back in the bottom of the third, with Lane Hailey and Nick Grade driving in runs to make it 4-2.

But every time the Suns thought they were back in the game, Kamiakin tacked on more runs.

Chase Grillo and Brady Bush pushed runs across the plate in the fifth, and Nate Gee added a solo home run in the top of the seventh.

Martin smacked a solo homer for Southridge in the fifth, and Jake Harvey drew a bases-loaded walk in the sixth to make it 6-4. The bases were still full for Martin, but he hit the ball right to Gee at first base to end the threat.

Wyatt Hull, the MCC pitcher of the year, went three innings for the Suns, with Mason Perez finishing out.

“He has some really good stuff,” Flynn said of Hull. “We knew he would start and we were prepared. We knew what to expect.”

This story was originally published May 9, 2017 at 7:53 PM with the headline "Brown, Irwin lead Kamiakin to 3A regional baseball title."