If there’s a pitcher’s duel, it’s wise not to bet against the Olympia Bears.
Olympia pitchers Travis Kunkel and Peyton Crass combined to hold the Emerald Ridge offense to just one hit as the Bears defeated the Jaguars 3-1 in the South Puget Sound League Tournament semifinals Tuesday.
The Bears got on the board first, as Elijah Butler’s first-inning sacrifice fly scored Sawyer Dean, who reached on an error on the first at bat of the game. Emerald Ridge’s lone hit of the contest came on the third at bat of the bottom of the first inning, as Preston Bolam tripled to center field.
He scored the game-tying run as Blake Blumenschein’s grounder created an error by Aiden Apfel at third base. But with the bases loaded, Kunkel got Busby Low to strike out swinging.
Kunkel led off the top of the fourth by reaching base on an error, and Connor Hardy was hit by a pitch to put two runners on with one out.
Olympia, as it has done so well all season, utilized its “pressure baseball” mentality in the fourth inning. Milo Tolbert bunted to score the go-ahead run on a sacrifice, and with two outs, Brayden Cheeka delivered a clutch RBI single, putting Olympia ahead 3-1.
Kunkel finished his day with five strikeouts and three walks in four innings, allowing one hit and one unearned run. Crass entered in the fifth and helped turn a leadoff runner into an inning-ending double play. He walked a batter to start the sixth before striking out the next three he faced. And, finally, in the bottom of the seventh, he worked a 1-2-3 frame to end the game.
“Kunk was a bulldog and worked out of that tough jam in the first. He settled in and made some big pitches,” Olympia head coach Derek Weldon said. “Crass was electric in relief. Good team win. We found ways to produce runs offensively against a really good arm and defensive club.”
THe victory now sets up a SPSL championship matchup between Olympia (17-5, 12-4 SPSL) and top-seeded Sumner (16-3, 13-3 SPSL) in Sumner Wednesday afternoon.
