SPORTS
May 24, 2018
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Edmonds Beacon - 9
Edmonds-Woodway books return trip to state semis Warriors upset the No. 1 ranked team in the state, advance to final four again BY DAVID PAN REPORTER @ YOURBEACON . NET
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hey’re back. A year after Edmonds-Woodway advanced to the state baseball semifinals for the first time in school history, the Warriors booked a return trip to the final four. Edmonds-Woodway secured its spot in this year’s state semifinals with victories over top ranked Mercer Island and Capital in 3A regional action last weekend. The Warriors jumped on Capital early, scoring seven runs in the first inning and then hung on for an 11-6 victory in a winner-to-state/loser-out regional tournament game Saturday, May 19, at Foss High School in Tacoma. Earlier in the day, the Warriors upset Mercer Island 6-3 in another loser-out regional contest. The Islanders came into the tournament as the No. 1 ranked 3A team in the state by Maxpreps.com and the Washington High School Baseball Poll. The rankings didn’t matter to Edmonds-Woodway, though. For the Warriors, it was all about the work they put in day in and day out. “We don’t have a bunch of D-1 signees. We don’t have those big-name guys,” senior shortstop/pitcher Julian Kodama said. “We just work harder than anybody in my opinion. That’s why we’re going back to state.” At the start of the season, EdmondsWoodway coach Dan Somoza and his players all signed their names on a poster that listed what they thought they needed to do in order get back to the state tournament. “Our kids have a lot of heart and they’re dedicated,” Somoza said. “They believe in one another. They really came together and it’s just fun to see a team when they come together and achieve their goals. Our goal was getting to Pasco. … We visualized it and believed it and it’s happening.” Edmonds-Woodway (16-9) is scheduled to face Kelso in a state semifinal game at 4 p.m., Friday, May 25, at Gesa Stadium in Pasco. The winner will take on either Eastside Catholic or Southridge in the 3A state championship game at 7 p.m., Saturday, May 26 at Gesa Stadium, while the loser will play for third/fourth place at 1 p.m. The road to Pasco began with a backand-forth clash with Mercer Island (21-2) that lasted nine innings. The Islanders took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning. The Warriors responded with two runs in the bottom of the third. Senior catcher Niko Cooper singled to left
u from WARRIORS page 8 the ball well against Arlington and then against Everett. We had some timely hitting. That’s what we need to get back to.” Ortiz agreed that the Warriors were solid on Tuesday. “We shined all day,” she said. “We showed heart. We showed guts. If we’re like that for the first day of state, I think we’re going to have fun and we’re going to play great.” The 8-run loss to the Panthers was one the Warriors’ worse of the season, but Venable expects his team won’t have a problem regrouping. “This team has a lot of resiliency,” he said. “We had a three-game losing streak in the middle of the season and then we won four straight. … I just told them just to put this game in the rear-view mirror and look ahead.”
Beacon photos by David Pan
Edmonds-Woodway players celebrate their 11-6 victory over Capital in a state regional tournament game Saturday, May 19, at Foss High School in Tacoma. The Warriors clinched a berth in the 3A state semifinals for the second straight year.
Edmonds-Woodway’s Jalil Marinez hit a key double in the top of the ninth inning to drive the go-ahead runs against Mercer Island.
Junior Ian Michael helped lead EdmondsWoodway to a 6-3 victory over Mercer Island. field with two outs. Junior Tommy Oda and senior Jalil Marinez then drew back-to-back walks to load the bases for Kodama, who followed with a single to center field to drive in two runs. The Islanders tied the score with a run in the fifth. Cooper again sparked EdmondsWoodway in the seventh with a pop fly that dropped into right field with one out. Then with two outs, Marinez hit a single to center field to drive in a run to give the Warriors’ a 3-2 lead. The lead was short-lived as Mercer Island responded with a run in the bottom of
the inning to tie the score at 3. Edmonds-Woodway starter Ian Michael, who kept the Islanders largely in check, had to be lifted after seven innings due to a pitch count. “Mercer Island has got a lineup that is just absolutely tough,” Somoza said. “Ian pitched great. He attacked them. … He threw his off-speed for strikes and our defense played great.” Michael said the game plan was to be aggressive from start to finish. “We were just trying to go after them,” Michael said. “We know who we are and we play our game. I think we just competed the whole way.” Kodama, who had not been pitching due to arm issues, decided to warm up and see how he felt. The senior righthander came in and threw a scoreless eighth inning. In the top of the ninth inning, Marinez produced yet another timely
Meadowdale Athlete of the Week This week we honor the Maverick boys soccer team and their coaches, who had one of the best seasons in recent history. The team finished with an 11 wins, 8 loses, and 2 tied games record and were just two goals from an appearance at the State Tournament. On Saturday, May 12th the team played their hearts out as they took on a physical Squalicum Storm team. Tied at half time, the Mavericks came out fast but found themselves down 3-1 going into the final minutes of the game. To their credit, the team left everything on the field and the coaching staff described this group of athletes as some of the hardest working and most dedicated to the game. This is why the Maverick Soccer Team are our Athletes of the Week.
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hit with the bases loaded. The senior centerfielder stroked a single to center field to drive in two runs and give Edmonds-Woodway a 5-3 lead. “I chased a couple of pitches,” Marinez said. “I was just trying to make contact and let the magic happen.” The Warriors added another run on a sacrifice fly by sophomore Thomas Blahous. “Our guys never gave up,” Somoza said. “They kept battling back. Three runs in the top of the ninth was huge.” After striking out the first Mercer Island batter, Kodama struggled to find the strike zone as the rain starting falling. He walked the next Islander before striking out the next hitter. A hit batter and a second walk loaded the bases before Kodama recorded the final out on a fly ball. “I just kept slipping and sliding on the mound,” Kodama said. “I was just losing my footing a little bit. At the end of the day, it worked out for us. It was a little exciting.” Edmonds-Woodway’s momentum from the victory over Mercer Island carried over against Capital with the Warriors scoring seven runs on four hits, three walks, three stolen bases (including a steal of home) and one Cougar error in the bottom of the first inning. Capital (17-8) responded with two runs in the second. Marinez then led off the third with a triple and scored on a double by Kodama, who also came home later in the inning on a single by Blahous that extended the Edmonds-Woodway lead to 9-2. “Jalil had quite the game. He was on fire offensively and to win games like see
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King’s Schools Athlete of the Week Congratulations to junior infielder Isaac Hines for being named King’s High School Athlete of the week. Isaac was voted to the Cascade Conference All League 1st Team as an Infielder this week. Isaac was also selected as the Knights Baseball teams Offensive MVP as well Defensive MVP for his performances this year. Isaac led the Knights in several statistics with a .322 batting average, 19 hits, 17 runs, and 14 walks in 22 games. Isaac has been the team’s offensive spark plug, as well as playing great defensive as the starting shortstop, and pitching this year for the Knights. Congratulations Isaac Hines! Edmonds Realty proudly recognizes King’s Schools Athletes
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