Warriors’ Run Ends in District-Playoff Loss to Bay

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Rochester baseball fell behind early, mounted a sixth-inning comeback but ultimately fell short in a 4-3, season-ending loss to Hudson’s Bay during a play-in game to the 2A District 4 tournament on Saturday.

It was a season of impressive highs and discouraging lows for a Warriors’ team that swept 2A Evergreen Conference powerhouse and No. 2 seed W.F. West, but was also swept by a Centralia team that didn’t qualify for postseason.

But the Warriors came through when crunch time arrived Friday, facing league foe Black Hills in a pigtail game for the EvCo’s fourth seed and a bid to play the Greater St. Helen’s League’s fifth seed.

Led by another strong outing from ace Braden Hartley, the Warriors cruised to a 10-2 victory, setting up their second-straight, do-or-die match in two days — GSHL’s Hudson’s Bay.

Hyde Parrish took the mound for Rochester, surrendering a run to Bay in the first inning before holding them in check until the bottom of the fifth when the Eagles plated three runs to take a 4-0 lead.

Finally, Rochester’s offense woke up, with Tate Quarnstrom, Landon Hawes and Tony Groninger each scoring runs to cut its deficit to 4-3 heading into the bottom of the sixth. But the Warriors’ rally ended there as they were unable to score again in the seventh, taking an elimination loss.

Parrish went all six innings, allowing four earned runs on nine hits and two walks with four Ks.

“It was a good game, all in all,” Rochester skipper Brad Quarnstrom said. “It was one of those games where we out-played them and — we didn’t out-hit them — but we squared up more balls. We definitely competed and fought back.”

Tate Quarnstrom finished 1 for 4 with a run, Hawes was 1 for 4 with a run, Groninger went 1 for 3 with a run, Hayden Pietrus finished 2 for 3 with an RBI and Mason Ubias and Parrish each collected a hit.

Seven seniors played their final game in a Warriors’ jersey: Tony Groninger, Landon Hawes, Garren Smith, Johnny Childers, Kyle Wilson, Ledger Anderson and Hugh Gramelspacher.

“Like I told them after the game, we obviously didn’t win games like we’d hoped to, but it wasn’t for a lack of effort or hustle,” Quarnstrom said. “We were always playing hard and the right way. Athletics, in general, isn’t always about winning and losing.”