Eastlake baseball coach Kevin Agnew knew has seen something special in his team all year.

Even when the Wolves struggled to score runs in close losses to division leaders Redmond and Bothell, and after they dropped back-to-back conference games in late April to put their collective backs against the wall and a conference playoff tournament berth — much less a spot at state — in doubt.

Monday, as Agnew watched his players celebrate a second win in as many games, 5-1 over the Cougars in the tournament semifinals, everyone could see his vision.

Eastlake earned the program’s first state tournament berth in more than a decade, and a place in Thursday’s 4A KingCo championship game, behind five innings and third of shutout baseball from senior Connor Graham and a four-run top of the seventh inning that ended any doubt.

“He was awesome,” Agnew said of his senior starter. “Our guys are mentally tough.”

Bothell had its first base hit on the first pitch of the ballgame, and a stolen base put the leadoff man in scoring position before Graham induced three straight fly balls to get of the inning.

He did not allow another base hit until the fourth and exited in the sixth with a 1-0 lead and five strikeouts, no walks and no runs allowed.

He said after being plagued by walks at times during the season, he and Agnew had a heart-to-heart about the opportunity of starting a winner-to-state game.

“It works both ways,” he said. “I believe in the team, and they believe in me.”

Four singles, a walk and a hit batter helped produce four runs in the top half of the seventh and extend the lead beyond the reach of the Cougars, who scattered six hits and did not score until the final inning.

“It was pretty awesome,” Graham said. “We were all pretty pumped, ready to come play.”

Agnew and his staff have turned around an Eastlake program that went 11 years between state tournament trips, and Graham said the shift in mindset even over the past three seasons has been a stark one.

“It’s a totally different team, we have a winning atmosphere now,” he said. “My sophomore year, we were just trying to win some games and get over .500. Now, it is let’s go win a state championship.”

The next stop on that trip comes against Woodinville, Agnew’s alma mater and the winner of Monday’s other semifinal against Redmond, with the top seed from the league at stake May 15.

But regardless of the outcome of that game, this Eastlake squad has already cemented its place in school history.

“We’re going to give them everything we’ve got,” Agnew said. “We continue to battle.”

Issaquah, Skyline stay alive

Issaquah beat rival Newport 4-3 behind a complete game performance on the mound from junior Ty Gibson and the fifth home run of the year from Mitchell Morimoto.

The Knights threatened in the seventh and plated one run, but were unable to complete the comeback and keep their season alive.

The Eagles meet Bothell, which lost a winner-to-state semifinal against Eastlake 5-1, in another loser-out game at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Woodinville.

Skyline bounced back from its loss to the Wolves in the opening round to keep its playoff run going, beating Roosevelt 12-5 in a loser-out game at Inglemoor.

Jason Santiago led the offense with two base hits and four runs batted in, while Sam Lawrence and Hugh Smith split the duties on the mound.

The Spartans wasted little time at the plate, and led 8-0 after posting four runs in the first and second innings.

Roosevelt pulled closer with a four-spot of its own in the third, but was blanked the rest of the way.

Skyline faces Crest division champ Redmond, which lost its semifinal game to Woodinville, at 4 p.m. May 13 in another loser-out game.