CHIMACUM — The 1A defending state champions are starting their postseason quest for their second straight title in a row.
And the powerhouse Chimacum Cowboys are still perfect after ending the regular season by ripping Cascade Christian 11-1 in five innings in Nisqually League action Saturday.
The Cowboys finish league competition 12-0 and improve to 15-0 overall.
They’re going for that rare undefeated season with the state crown the cherry on top of the sundae.
“It was an unspoken goal of ours [to go undefeated],” Chimacum coach Jim Dunn said.
“We lost only two games last year and we have seven returning starters. So it was an unspoken goal.”
So far, so good.
The Cowboys open tri-district play Wednesday at home beginning at 4:30 p.m. against the ultimate winner of four teams playing a doubleheader Saturday.
The booby prize for winning two straight seeding games is going against one of the most dominate 1A baseball teams for the past several years.
Two state titles, a second place and a third place in the past five years.
The four-year varsity seniors at Chimacum now are 72-9 in their high school career. And they’re not done yet.
Wednesday’s winner gets an automatic berth to the regionals in Moses Lake. That team plays a seeding game at tri-districts in Bellingham next weekend.
The loser finds itself in two do-or-die games with just the fifth seed on the line in Bellingham.
“We win and we’re in [regionals], or we lose and our life’s almost over,” Dunn said.
“Wednesday’s game is very important for us.”
Are the Cowboys ready?
Just ask Cascade Christian, which came in needing to win to earn a playoff berth.
Cascade threw its ace pitcher, who was knocked out in the third inning by the Cowboys.
“We took care of business,” Dunn said.
The Cowboys’ two top pitchers are a combined 11-0 on the year, giving up just one run all year.
And that one run came Saturday with team ace Landon Cray on the mound.
“That was a goofy run,” Dunn said.
Cray, three-time league MVP and all-state player, had two strikes on the batter when the player swung at a wild pitch that hit standout catcher Austin McConnell on the Adam’s apple.
The Cascade batter made it to first as the Cowboys were attending to McConnell, who shook off the ball to his throat and never left the game.
That baserunner eventually scored.
Cray (5-0) threw the whole five innings, striking out 12 while giving up just two hits and no walks.
Yet to give up a run this year is Quinn Eldridge, who is 6-0 with a 0.00 ERA.
Egan Cornachione is 3-0 while McConnell, the No. 3 pitcher last year, is 1-0 on the mound.
Lucas Dukek had the big bat in the game by going 2 for 3 with a triple and four RBIs while Mike Nordberg was right behind, going 2 for 4 with a double and four RBIs.
Brady Anderson was 2 for 3 with an RBI and run while Cornachione went 2 for 3 with two runs.
Chimacum 11, Cascade Christian 1
Cascade 0 0 1 0 0 — 1 2 2
Chimacum 1 2 7 0 1 — 11 13 1
WP- Cray (5-0)
Pitching Statistics
Chimacum: Cray 5 IP, 1 ER, 2 H, 12 K, 0 BB.
Hitting Statistics
Chimacum: Dukek 2-3, 3B, 4 RBIs; Nordberg 2-4, 2B, 4 RBIs; Anderson 2-3, RBI, R; Cornachione 2-3, 2 R.
White River 4,
Port Angeles 2
BREMERTON — The Roughriders, the Olympic League runners-up, lost to the South Puget Sound League winners in a sub-district seeding game Friday at the Kitsap County Fairgrounds.
Port Angeles was set to play for the third-fourth seed at the West Central District Tournament against the loser between North Kitsap and Lindbergh on Saturday.
The Vikings and Lindbergh played earlier Saturday when their first-round seeding game was rained out Friday.
Sequim was playing a doubleheader at Enumclaw High School after its first-round seeding game against Fife was rained out Friday.
The Wolves are playing for seeds five through eight at the district championships the following weekend.
In Friday’s game, White River scored three runs in the first inning and held on for the win.
White River 4, Port Angeles 2
Port Angeles 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 — 2 6 2
White River 3 0 1 0 0 0 x — 4 7 1
WP- Bird; LP- Napiontek
Pitching Statistics
Port Angeles: Napiontek 3 IP, Reandeau, 4 IP.
White River: Bird 3 IP, Rohrbach 3 IP.
Hitting Statistics
Port Angeles: Uvila 2-4, R; Konopaski 1-3, R, BB; Jangula 1-3, 2 RBIs, BB.
White River: Williams 2-3, 2 R, SB; Johnson 1-3, R, RBI.
