With a berth in the Class 3A quarterfinals on the line, Sumner Spartans pitcher Preston Fullington unveiled a gem on the line against the Eastside Catholic Crusaders baseball team.

Fullington surrendered a mere one hit and Sumner eliminated Eastside Catholic from postseason play with a 3-1 win on May 22 at Bannerwood Park in Bellevue. The Crusaders, who won the Metro League title on May 12, finished the 2016 season with an overall record of 19-5. Crusaders’ head coach Kyle Larsen said Sumner’s ace was clicking on all cylinders against his team.

“I think we ran into a little bit of a buzzsaw with their pitcher,” Larsen said. “He had some really good stuff (assortment of pitches) going. We couldn’t figure him out and that’s baseball. It was just one of those games where we just couldn’t hit it today.”

Despite the shock of a season-ending defeat, Larsen said there were plenty of positives to focus on in the aftermath of the loss.

“It was a frustrating ending to a really great season,” he said. “We had a really great year. I told the guys that nobody could ever take the Metro title away from them. Nobody really knew what to expect with this group. To be feeling frustrated at a loss in the state playoffs is a really good achievement. We felt like we probably could have won that game but it is what it is. I’m proud of them for what they have done this year.”