<< Previous   of   Next >> Jennifer Buchanan / The Herald  (click to enlarge) Teammates congratulate Ryan Sells (far left in helmet) after his two-run homer in the fifth inning gave Mountlake Terrace a 13-3 lead and ended the game.

ADVERTISEMENT

CONTACT THE HERALD

Report scores and results to 425-339-3470 or 1-866-6-SCORES (Call after 4:30 p.m.)

E-mail information including items for Tuesday's Communities Sports Roundup and Thursday's Outdoor Calendar, to sports@heraldnet.com

Kevin Brown, Sports Editor kbrown@heraldnet.com

PREP BASEBALL: Hawks make history

Mountlake Terrace earns its first district baseball title when Ryan Sells' first home run of the season puts Marysville-Pilchuck out of its misery

By Mike Cane
Herald Writer

EVERETT -- Patience pays off.

Look at the triumphant Mountlake Terrace High School baseball team: Instead of flailing at pitches outside the strike zone, the Hawks repeatedly took a patient approach in the batter's box Saturday. It helped them make program history by rolling to a 13-3 victory over the Marysville-Pilchuck Tomahawks in the Class 4A District 1 championship at Everett Memorial Stadium.

Three Marysville-Pilchuck pitchers combined to walk 11 hitters and Terrace used that wildness to triumph in a game shortened to five innings by the 10-run mercy rule.

Ryan Sells ended the contest when he blasted a two-run home run over the left-field wall. Sells' first homer of the season gave Terrace the first district title in team history, according to Hawks coach Andrew Watters.

"I was really proud of my guys for having the patience early in that game to put (M-P) in trouble. The kids had a very good approach at the plate and they accepted the base on balls and accepted getting on base," said Watters, whose players walked four times in the Hawks' five-run first inning.

Starting pitcher Jake Theis threw all five innings for Terrace (17-6), which earned the district's No. 1 berth in the 4A state tourney. The Hawks host the District 3 No. 4 seed at 1 p.m. May 17 at Everett Memorial.

"This is big for our team, giving us confidence going into state. We're excited -- just pumped up," said Sells, who helped Terrace win its eighth consecutive game. During the streak the Hawks have outscored foes 55-20.

Sells generated a game-winning hit for the second time this week. On Tuesday, his run-scoring double propelled Terrace to a 5-4, extra-innings victory over Shorewood.

Ryan Dimascio had two hits and drove in a run for M-P (15-7), which received the District 1 No. 2 seed. The Tomahawks travel to play the District 3 No. 2 seed at 1 p.m. May 17 at Heidelberg Park in Tacoma.

Beginning with starting pitcher Frank Nelson (six walks and three wild pitches in 12/3 innings), M-P was frequently unable to throw strikes. For whatever reason, all three M-P pitchers -- Nelson, John Trimble (three walks) and Tyler Holm (two walks) -- had "trouble locating," M-P coach Kurt Koshelnik said. "I don't know if they were too geared up. It's just one of those things. Guy after guy we put out there just continued walking (batters)."

Terrace took advantage of M-P's pitching struggles. Six of the walks turned into runs, including four of the Hawks' five first-inning runs.

"That first inning's just huge," said Watters. "When we have Jake Theis (7-1) on the mound and you give him five runs to deal with … I just don't think there's too many teams anywhere that will beat us."

Besides Sells, Terrace's offensive leaders were Matt Shafer (a double, three RBI), Garrett Totten (2-for-3, a double, three runs), Andrew Woeck (2-for-3, a double, two RBI) and Jacob Mann (two hits).

Meanwhile, M-P hopes its pitchers regain their accuracy in time for the team's first state-tourney appearance since 2005.

Said Koshelnik, "I'm asking the players to put (the 10-run loss) behind them."

At Everett Memorial Stadium

Marysville-Pilchuck 001 20 -- 3 5 2

Mountlake Terrace 511 33 -- 13 11 1

Nelson, Trimble (2), Holm (4) and Botham. Theis and Clingan. WP-Theis (7-1). LP-Nelson. 2B-Shafer (MT) 1, Strieby (MT) 1, Woeck (MT) 1, Totten (MT) 1. HR-R. Sells (MT) 1. Records-Marysville-Pilchuck 15-7. Mountlake Terrace 17-6.

Writer Mike Cane: mcane@heraldnet.com. Check out the prep sports blog Double Team at www.heraldnet.com/doubleteam.