Put the ball in play, and good things will happen.
One of the constants from the 2026 season for the Capital baseball team has been its resilience, even in defeat. The Cougars never roll over and keep battling.
That resilience finally broke through for Capital Thursday, as the Cougars rallied from a three-run deficit and defeated Timberline 7-6 by putting the ball in play with runners on base.
Both teams went blow for blow in the first three innings but Timberline held a slight 4-3 advantage. That was until the Blazers put up one run in the fourth and another in the fifth to pull ahead 6-3 thanks to mistakes by Capital.
After a leadoff walk by Xavier Green in the top of the sixth, Lane Nixon and Max Wilson followed with singles, the latter coming on a bunt to score Green. In the sixth and seventh innings, Wilson’s RBI single was the only hit to score a run in the Cougars’ comeback.
Cash VanZandt recorded a sacrifice groundout in the sixth to bring Nixon home and cut the margin to just one.
Isaac Linville struck out the side in the bottom of the sixth, and Hanson led off the seventh with a single. Linville walked, and Charles McSwain tied the game with another sacrifice groundout.
Green provided the go-ahead swing, hitting a grounder on the seventh pitch of the at bat to score Hanson for the third sacrifice RBI in the final two frames.
“Offensively, we had some great team at bats late in the game with runners in scoring position. Charles McSwain and Xavier Green both did an excellent job of putting the ball in play to score runs and help us take the lead in the seventh,” Capital head coach Brian Shannon said.
The seventh inning was not as easy for Linville on the bump. Caleb Bacon walked, and Dalton Abbott singled to put two on with one out. Linville struck out Reid Ovist and got Blake Rickert to fly out to end the game.
“We’re really proud of our team for continuing to battle today and pull it out,” Shannon said. “Easton Bramble and Isaac Linville both pitched well and came up big in some tough shots with runners on base.”
Timberline head coach Doug LaPalm gave credit to the Capital pitchers for staying collected in the intense moments.
“That was a tough one. Their pitchers did a good job of keeping us off balance,” he said. “We put too many runners on, and they capitalized on that.”
Hanson finished 2 of 4 at the plate with an RBI, two runs scored and two stolen bases, while VanZandt and Nixon each added two hits. Bramble struck out five over four innings, while Linville collected four punchouts over three one-hit innings, allowing just one unearned run.
For Timberline, Adrian Williams allowed five runs on hit hits across five innings, striking out three and walking five. Abbott went 3 of 4 at the plate with a pair of RBIs, and Marley Gamble drove in two runs.
Capital (5-8, 5-5 Puget Sound League) and Timberline (5-6, 5-5 Puget Sound League) now share third place in the PSL Nisqually Division entering a rematch at Capital Saturday afternoon.
