Aided by the eight home runs last week off the blazing bat of Eric Koenig, Enumclaw High’s baseball squad won a half dozen contests over a sunny six-day span to elevate its league mark to 10-1, clinching the South Puget Sound League 3A crown for the third consecutive season.
Enumclaw kicked off the glorious week April 18 by getting into a slugfest at Decatur High and winning 23-17.
April 19, the Hornets exacted a bit of revenge on a visiting Auburn Mountainview squad, winning 8-7 in the bottom of the seventh inning when Kyle Thomsen legged out an infield single, stole second and then dashed home for the game-winner as fellow outfielder Tyler Carlson smashed a line drive to left field.
April 20 brought Bonney Lake to town and EHS beat the Panthers 16-6, led by the hitting of Marcus Madden, who went 3 for 3 at the dish.
In the second abbreviated game of the week, EHS accumulated nearly 20 hits off of dubious Lakes Lancer pitching Thursday to win 19-9. Michael Lucarelli went 3 for 3, smacking a single, double and triple, and Kyle Baumgartner also turned in a 3 for 3 night. Koenig blasted his third and fourth homers of the week.
Friday, EHS visited Bonney Lake and, between them, the team totaled 33 hits, a third of which were round trippers.
Long relief from both bullpens ruled the day, as senior southpaw Kevin Johnson was brought on for EHS and freshman Kash Koltermann was called upon by the Panthers.
Koenig plowed into another pair of dingers for EHS.
When Enumclaw hopped the bus Saturday to travel to Peninsula High, it was a weary bunch that trotted into the fray with the Seahawks.
For the second time in the long week, it was Cody Hughes taking the mound for the Hornets.
Hughes and the Seahawk twirler exchanged pitches in the low scoring battle that saw the home team go out front 3-1 in the bottom of the sixth inning. With Enumclaw’s back to the wall, Koening spanked one that left the yard, sending the contest into bonus panels.
In the top of the eighth, EHS scored twice before Koenig strolled to the dish once more and, with a runner aboard, stroked his eighth homer of the week to give his team a 7-3 upper hand. The Seahawks could only manage one more run off a determined Hughes.
“You just can’t pitch to Koenig right now,” Hornet coach Eric Fiedler said. “I’ve never seen anything like it in any sport and it couldn’t happen to a nicer kid.”
