After a tough week on the road in the last week of the regular season, the Tenino baseball team refocused and opened up its 1A District 4 run with a 10-6 win over King’s Way Christian Monday afternoon at Olympic Stadium in Hoquiam.
The Beavers avenged a loser-out, winner-to-state loss to the Knights last season in the win Monday.
“There was definitely talk of that,” Beavers coach Ryan Schlesser said. “We mentioned it Friday after Elma. We need to come out with some aggression, because we didn’t go to state last year. We felt like we had that game won and we couldn’t take care of business.”
The Beavers fell behind after a four-spot in the top of the fourth, but put together three runs to tie it up in the bottom of the inning, and responded with five more runs in the fifth to pull away.
Mikey Vasser went 2 for 3 with two runs scored and a triple, Jack Burkhardt went 2 for 3 with two runs scored and an RBI, and Austin Gonia had just one hit but knocked in two runs. At leadoff, Will Feltus went 1 for 2 with an RBI, and two runs scored.
“I definitely think that's one of our stronger points, we can swing it,” Schlesser said. “To come out and put up 10, we really felt like we just didn’t play super clean today. There’s a lot of stuff we can clean up, but we did what we needed to.”
On the mound, Cody Strawn got the start and pitched a pretty solid five innings, allowing five runs, with four earned, on seven hits and three walks with seven punchouts. Easton Snider stepped on the bump in the sixth and allowed one unearned run on three hits with a strikeout, getting himself out of a bases-loaded jam in the sixth.
“It was awesome,” Schlesser said of the pair. “Both of them just battled. Cody wasn’t thrilled giving up four but he came back in the fifth and put up zero, he did a good job battling through that and kept going.”
The win sets up a matchup against the back-to-back defending district champion out of the Trico, La Center, Tuesday at 4 p.m. at Castle Rock.
With a win, the Beavers would qualify for their first state playoffs appearance since 2016 and a district title berth. A loss would send them to the consolation semifinals.
