Kangs Rally to Dump Blanchet 8-5, Reach State Playoffs

BELLEVUE – They took the long way to state, but the Kangaroos finally arrived with a dramatic 8-5 come-from-behind win over Blanchet in a 3A bi-district baseball game Tuesday night at Bannerwood Park

It's the Kangs' fifth state berth in eight seasons.

The Kangaroos (14-10) will play Hanford (14-11) at 1 p.m. Saturday at Richland High School. The winner faces either Kamiakin (20-5) or Southridge (19-3) at 4 p.m. that day for the right to advance to Cheney Stadium next weekend for the semifinals.

Nick Johnson’s two-run single in a five-run sixth inning proved to be the game-winner for the KingCo 3A runner-up.

“It was a fastball inside – just like I like it – and I hit it square,” said the sophomore shortstop.

The Kangaroos were familiar with Bannerwood, having played here Thursday through Saturday last week.

They defeated Lake Sammamish 10-1 in the semifinals before losing 1-0 in eight innings to top-seeded Mount Si in the championship game.

“That was awful – seeing them pigpile on the mound,” LW ace Bob Cruikshank said. “This makes up everything for that.”

Second-seeded Lake Washington had to win a loser-out game Saturday against Mercer Island, 6-2, just to get to Tuesday.

“We focused all year about playing our best baseball come May,” Lake Washington head coach Derek Bingham said. “Come playoff time, these guys just started to really gel and turn it on.”

Cruikshank and Blanchet starter Brian McFaul each lasted 5 1/3 innings and each allowed nine hits in the tightly-contested affair.

“It wasn’t my best stuff but those are the days you have to battle,” Cruikshank said.

The University of San Francisco commit had a strikeout in each of the first six innings, and half came looking as he had the Metro League's Braves fooled on a wicked palmball. Cruishank also reached base in all four plate appearances with a home run, a double, a single and an intentional walk.

“He’s been our rock, our steady guy that we can count on,” Bingham said. “He’s the same player every day whether we’re down 10-0 or up 10-0. He’s never fazed by the moment.”

The Braves, the Metro League No. 4, led 1-0 after one inning following an unfortunate break for the Kangaroos with the early evening sunshine.

Rightfielder Kory Kohlwes couldn’t spot the ball on a routine flyball with two outs, allowing Andrew Kraus to reach safely on a single. After he stole second base, Chance Laboda drove him in with a long single to deep right-centerfield.

Blanchet added a second run in the third as Garrett Hay singled and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt. Joe Throckmorton’s single to right-centerfield gap plated Hay.

Zach Johnson’s sharp line drive on a full count to centerfield scored Nick Johnson (walk) and Cruikshank (single), tying it at 2.

Blanchet immediately answered in the fourth with Kraus’ stand-up double to the left-centerfield wall. Eric Kimpton (infield hit) and Riley Rockwell (hit by pitch) both scored, making it 4-2.

Cruikshank’s home run between the scoreboard and the flagpole in leftfield brought the deficit to one run in the fifth.

Hay’s single on a full count to left centerfield in the sixth scored Kimpton (double) to make it 5-3.

Reliever Spencer Jackson got out of the jam after Chris Moore’s catch on a sacrifice fly and subsequent heave from centerfield to the plate to throw out Rockwell (single).

“That was the biggest play (of the game),” Bingham said. “They had all the momentum and looked like they were going to go up by three runs, and Chris Moore just makes an unbelievable throw.”

Kohlwes scored on Moore’s fielder’s choice to start the scoring in the sixth. Nick Johnson’s single to left field gave Lake Washington its first lead at 6-5 as Nori Shimizu and Victor Mayorquin had each reached safely on sacrifice bunts due to catching errors by the second baseman Hay trying to cover first base.

“He’s been in a little bit of a slump but we kept faith in him,” said Bingham about Johnson. “I told him before the at-bat ‘The reason you’re playing every day is because you’re good.’”

Zach Johnson’s line drive to right field scored Nick Johnson two batters later. McFaul left after that, giving way to Max Schwabe.

Stevie Semler’s sacrifice fly plated Cruikshank (intentional walk) for the final run of the inning.

Jackson’s 1-2-3 seventh clinched the victory. “He did a helluva job like he’s done all year,” Bingham said.