The 18-2 Enumclaw High baseball team continued to soar through the high school universe in West Central District III action at Auburn Mountainview, taking down the previously undefeated Mountain View Thunder 8-7 Thursday to secure a berth in the Class 3A state tournament.
After claiming a dramatic win over the Vancouver-based Thunder, the rain again became Enumclaw’s most formidable foe. Saturday, the Hornets easily tamed Timberline 8-1 and were about to take on Camas High when a rain squall delayed play until Monday.
Against Mountain View, Enumclaw outslugged the Thunder 12 hits to six with timely hits by Kyle Baumgartner, Marcus Madden, Cody Hughes, Kyle Thomson and starting pitcher Levi Goodin.
Another solid effort on the mound by Goodin was nearly squandered as he watched an early Hornet 2-0 lead evaporate thanks to sloppy glove work by his teammates. Mountain View took advantage of an error-plagued fifth frame and took a 5-2 lead.
Enumclaw overcame its ineptitudes on defense to arrive at the dramatic final inning tied at seven.
In the bottom of that fateful inning, a predominantly senior Enumclaw outfit found a way to win.
With one out, Kyle Thomson smashed a triple. With two away, Cody Hughes laced a gaper to right field that coaxed Thomson across the plate to salt away the 8-7 triumph.
Saturday morning’s district semifinal counted on the reliable pitching arm of Hughes to crush Timberline High’s Blazers 8-1.
The offensive attack was furnished mostly by home runs by Michael Lucarelli and Eric Koenig. With each dinger that Koenig plasters out of the park he will make his school record harder to eclipse.
At 7 p.m. Saturday, it was time for Enumclaw to engage in the long-awaited showdown with the Camas High Papermakers. The Hornets seemed to be riveted to the fast track in their mission of returning to the state Class 3A final four in late May. Just two pitches into the battle with CHS in the first inning, the white hot bat of Thomson produced a screaming double into center field.
The ominous black clouds that had been looming over the venue could be restrained no longer. The dark skies unleashed their full fury with a relentless rain that refused to let up.
After a half hour of waiting, the umpire officially called a rainout.
