TUMWATER — Cooper Parkinson, Elijah Simpson, Joel Beldo, Tobias Hilden and Brody Lavery have been through the wringer for the Black Hills High School baseball team. The quintet of seniors have the following numbers attached to their resume.
Total wins in three-plus years: 12.
Evergreen Conference wins up until Tuesday night: Six.
Number of head coaches: Four.
Winning has been a rarity for the Wolves on the diamond. Still, the bond and brotherhood those five have shared through the trials and tribulations keeps them together.
“We’re really strong (and) we can accept the change,” Parkinson said. “It is really difficult. We’ve had to change together. The biggest thing for me is setting an example for the younger kids.
“We stick together.”
Four of those seniors had their fingerprints all over their most crucial game to date.
Black Hills made an early lead stick and behind a complete game gem from Beldo on the mound, it triumphed for the first time in the league this spring with a 10-0, five-inning verdict over Centralia at home.
It puts the Wolves in the temporary driver’s seat for the fourth and final Class 2A District 4 playoff spot for the EvCo. The two sides meet again on Wednesday and just like last year, the final game of the regular season could be for the right to keep playing.
“Finally feel like we’re starting to put some pieces together,” Wolves first-year head coach Reid Christensen said. “It was a do-or-die game.”
Christensen has coached the 14U level of select ball over the summer before putting his name in consideration for the head job at the prep level. He’s been around most of the roster over his time in the area.
He does feel his five seniors are the leaders for a program that hasn’t appeared in the district tournament since 2018.
“A lot of these guys I’ve coached for a long time,” Christensen said. “We got a chance to do something we haven’t done in (awhile).”
Parkinson has seen three different voices come in an exit stage right just as fast. Since practice started in March, the shortstop does get a more bought-in vibe from this staff compared to previous ones.
“These guys put in a lot more time; they're not willing to give up,” Parkinson stated.
Already up 4-0 entering the bottom of the fifth, Black Hills (3-8, 1-6 EvCo) decided to end the game early.
Asher Strauss opened the frame with an RBI single and after a hit by pitch plus a Beldo bunt single, Simpson poked a two-run base hit up the middle to make it 7-0. Hilden was the next batter and laid down a beautiful squeeze bunt and Simpson – who got a large jump and took off on the pitch – was safe without a play.
Christensen wasn’t shy about the aggressive call even with the game seemingly out of reach.
“We were trying to push their defense and push my guys to do something they’re not totally comfortable (with) at times,” he said.
Parkinson proceeded to cap the six-run fifth with a single down the left field line for the game-clinching two runs. He alongside Strauss and Jackson Marshall all finished with two hits and the Wolves heart of the order each drove in a run.
Beldo struck out eight in five innings of work on just 67 pitches.
“One of the best games he’s had,” Christensen remarked.
Of Black Hills’ three victories, it has eclipsed eight runs in all of them. This game also had a case of payback after Centralia won last year to go to the playoffs despite Black Hills tossing a no-hitter.
A baseball oddity in its purest form.
“We were super motivated,” Parkinson said. “This is good competition for us. This was to show what we can do once we get the bats in play.”
Centralia head coach Jake LeDuc was far from happy afterwards. Outside of a Jake Johnson single, the Tigers failed to take advantage of four errors and struck out looking five times.
“We did not make an adjustment all day long,” LeDuc said. “We continued to try to get our pitch with two strikes. That's not the game of baseball, it is not the game of life. We gotta fight and for whatever reason, didn’t have a lot of fight in us today.”
In the top of the first, Centralia (1-12, 0-8) got its first two hitters on base, but a 6-3 double play halted the threat. The same situation occurred in the second, two on and one out, and two straight strikeouts quieted that rally.
Kadin Yeung stuck it out on the mound and tossed all 4.2 innings for the Tigers. LeDuc is hopeful his group can respond quickly.
“I look at most of our season, we’ve played about five good innings against everybody and we seem to fall apart,” he said. “I know it is in us, we just have to show up and do it. Don't make excuses, just go win that day.”
Marshall and Jake Tinsley registered RBI singles in a three-run first for Black Hills. Parkinson scored from second on a 6-3 groundout in the third.
“From the jump, I was ready to go,” Parkinson said of his run from second to home. “Once I knew it was on the ground, I’m immediately thinking four. My mind is always to score.”
Black Hills still has one game each versus Tumwater and W.F. West and two games against Aberdeen and Shelton. The Wolves, for the moment, are in control of their playoff path.
“A lot of guys didn’t believe we could win ballgames,” Christensen said. “We’re getting there.”
