One strike is all that separated the Eastlake baseball team from a KingCo 4A playoff berth last Friday.
Facing Inglemoor in a one-game playoff for the sixth and final league playoff spot, Eastlake jumped out to a fast start. The Wolves took a 5-1 lead after four innings and carried a 5-4 advantage into the bottom of the seventh and final inning. The Vikings used some late-game heroics, however, to eke out a win. With two outs and runners on second and third, Eastlake’s Brennan Menninger worked his way to a 1-2 pitch count on Inglemoor’s Ethan Yeo. Menninger’s fourth pitch to Yeo was ruled just outside the strike zone, giving Yeo another opportunity. The sophomore hitter took advantage, drilling a walk-off, two-RBI hit between the left fielder and the foul line to give Vikings a 6-5 victory. The Wolves’ defense was playing up to try to prevent the run.
“Any other type of defense and that ball probably wouldn’t have fallen,” Eastlake coach J.T. D’Amico said. “But you’ve got to give the hitter credit. The guy put a great swing on it.”
Eastlake took the initial lead in the top of the third via a four-run rally. Nick Smith and Aaron Race had RBI singles, and Kyle Henselman generated a two-out, two-RBI single for a 4-0 lead. Smith, who was 2-for-4, added another RBI single in the fourth.
Inglemoor inched its way back into the game in the bottom of the fourth with a two-run home run. The Vikings tacked on another in the bottom of the fifth to pull within one run.
Brennan Menninger pitched all seven innings for the Wolves, allowing eight hits and striking out one.
Eastlake didn’t commit a single error in Friday’s game — the first time they’ve gone without a mistake all season.
“All things considered, we played our best game in terms of execution,” D’Amico said.
After going 4-6 in the first half of the regular season, Eastlake battled back to go 7-3 in the second half to put themselves in position for a KingCo 4A playoff berth. The Wolves ended their season with an 11-10 record.
“They made us all very proud,” D’Amico said. “When you leave your best effort on the field every night, that’s all you can ask for.”
