CASTLE ROCK – The momentum was flipped on the Tenino High School baseball team’s head on Tuesday night. So Kellan Knox took matters into his own hands.
He didn’t throw a warm up pitch before the top of the fifth inning.
“I wanted to have them hustle to the plate,” Knox said. “I just thought it was important to kill their vibe. I had to do my job.”
He proceeded to shut down La Center in the frame. And just as quickly, the Beavers seized momentum back and ran with it for the biggest win of the season to date.
Tenino triumphed past the Wildcats 3-1 on Tuesday night in a Class 1A District 4 semifinal at Castle Rock High School to claim its spot in the state tournament for the second consecutive season.
The Beavers (17-5) had to go through the consolation bracket to be one of the last 16 teams standings in mid-May. They lost to this same Wildcats team in the same spot a year ago and had to battle their way back.
This one felt much sweeter.
“We did it,” Tenino head coach Ryan Schlesser said. “We had to do a little self-reflecting. We knew we would be pretty darn good. We had to take a little look in the mirror day and figure out where we’re gonna go.
“We can use it as a springboard, which we have, thank God.”
There was a purpose behind Knox’s no warm-up pitch strategy. La Center was fired up after scoring in the fourth and putting the Beavers down 1-2-3 in the bottom half. Its leadoff hitter struggled to get his ensemble together.
The unorthodox move paid off. The Wildcats didn’t score and left a runner stranded at third base.
“That little bit of bulldog right there,” Schlesser said. “That was the toughest he’s been. His slider was really good, his (velocity) was there. He wanted every last pitch.”
La Center got just one runner in scoring position over the last three innings. Knox ended his outing at 6.2 innings with seven strikeouts and 108 pitches. The Oregon recruit danced around three walks and three hits allowed.
The right-hander let out a roar after the fifth and showcased a bow-and-arrow celebration after the sixth.
“I was getting hyped on the mound,” Knox said. “It is a great feeling.”
Cody Strawn recorded the final out to send the Beavers into euphoria. They’ll face Seton Catholic, an 11-0 winner over Montesano, in the district title game on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. at Castle Rock.
For a team that struggled to piece together wins and close games post spring break, Tenino now feels that part of the season is over with.
“We dug our way out,” outfielder Mikey Vassar said. “Losing to Montesano really hurt, then we came out against Elma and that gave us all the energy.”
Tenino blitzed the Wildcats with a three-run first. Vassar ripped an RBI single to kick off the scoring and Cody Hart added another run-scoring base hit. Vassar scored on an error from the outfield to make it 3-0.
All of the damage came with two outs.
“Found a way,” Vassar said.
La Center had life in the fourth after Knox was called for a two-out balk. What followed was a single then a run-scoring error. Knox, a right-hander, ended that rally in two pitches on a groundout.
The Wildcats never brought the tying run to the plate the rest of the way.
“I think I held it too long where he didn’t think I came set at all,” Knox said. “I was kind of frustrated out there, but just used it as fire. We got a little bit nervous.”
Schlesser feels his group is starting to rekindle the fire from the start of the season. Seton Catholic also sits at 17-5 on the year and has scored in double digits in both district games.
“We feel really good, especially with this game under the belt,” Vassar said. “We just have to get out of our heads; I think we’ll be good.”
