PREP BASEBALL: Kiona-Benton falls in Class 1A semis

The Kiona-Benton baseball team knew it would need a perfect game to beat top-ranked Woodland, which has just one loss in 25 games this season.

The Bears couldn’t find a way to make it happen, losing 4-0 on Friday at County Stadium in Yakim after a masterful pitching performance by pitcher Trevor Huddleston, but that doesn’t mean they can’t create a little magic today in the third-place game.

“I was proud. They never quit,” Ki-Be coach Steve Woods said. “We had guys on second and third with one out in the first two innings. It just came down to little things.”

Despite giving up just five hits, Bears starter James Deaton hit four batters and walked two more, which made things tougher for Ki-Be in an otherwise clean game.

“We’re excited to bounce back and fight for that third-place game,” Woods said.

Kiona-Benton (15-8) will play Rochester at 1 p.m. today for the first state trophy since 1996, when the Bears beat Lakewood for the Class 1A state title.

Woodland 002 020 0 — 4 5 0

Kiona-Benton 000 000 0 — 0 3 2

WP—Trevor Huddleston. LP—James Deaton. Highlights—Thompson (KB), Huddleston (W) 2B, RBI; Austin Holcumb (W) 2 RBI.

This story was originally published May 30, 2014 at 11:33 PM with the headline "PREP BASEBALL: Kiona-Benton falls in Class 1A semis."