As they took the field at Whitworth University in Spokane on Saturday, the members of the Mercer Island baseball team knew they needed a marathon effort if they wanted to keep their state tournament hopes alive.
Four hours of grueling playoff baseball later, the Islanders accomplished something they had never done before: advance to the 3A tournament final four.
Getting another strong outing on the mound from Peter Lopes as well as late-game heroics at the plate from Michael Bantle, the Islanders snatched a 3-1 victory over Southridge in their regional opener. The Islanders kept it going some 45 minutes after recording the final out of their first game, scoring three quick runs against Mt. Spokane and never looking back to beat the Wildcats 3-1 and advance to the state tournament semifinals.
Islander coach Dominic Woody acknowledged the accomplishment as “unchartered territory” for Mercer Island baseball.
“It’s slightly surreal. When you see that ball go up in the air [for the final out], you actually allow yourself to realize this is actually coming to fruition,” he said. “It’s a pretty special feeling.”
Southridge (17-6) got on the board in the bottom of the first of game one to take an early 1-0 advantage. The Islanders answered back in the bottom of the third inning, with a sacrifice fly from Bantle bringing home Noah Hsue to even the score. Neither Lopes nor opposing starting pitcher Bradley Morgan conceded another run until the top of the seventh, when the Islanders claimed the lead for good off a two-run single from Bantle, bringing home Alex Shanks and Noah Hsue.
Lopes earned his third-straight complete game win of the postseason, allowing one run off eight hits in seven innings of work, throwing 73 pitches.
In their second game against Mt. Spokane (20-5), the Islanders managed to stay in front, despite registering only three hits throughout the course of the game, with three runs in the first two innings.
Michael Petrie brought Hsue home on a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the first to put the Islanders ahead 1-0. They extended their lead an inning later, with a single from Jack Smith bringing in Anthony Scalzo and George Pallis for a 3-0 Mercer Island advantage.
Will Mansfield kept the Wildcats in check from the mound, allowing one run off six hits in five innings of work. Alfonso Gonzalez recorded the save.
A final-four berth couldn’t have been any further from the mind of Mercer Island’s baseball coach a couple weeks prior, when the Islanders dropped their fourth-straight game to open the KingCo postseason tournament. But four wins later, the Islanders find themselves a couple victories away from a state title.
“Things can snowball positively in the right direction just like they can negatively in the wrong direction,” Woody said. “I think now the kids’ confidence is through the roof. They went out there and executed and they’ve earned it. A state championship is a real possibility, we just got to get to thinking about it and get our minds there.”
Mercer Island (19-7) will take on Bainbridge (20-2) in the 3A state semifinals at 4 p.m. Friday, May 29 at the University of Washington.
