The Union baseball team scored seven early runs and got a strong pitching performance from Matt Olstead on Wednesday to avoid elimination from the bi-district playoffs.
The 8-0 win over Central Kitsap in Puyallup advances the Titans to a pair of games on Saturday. Union (16-6) will play Gig Harbor at 1 p.m. Saturday at Heritage Recreation Center in Puyallup. The winner of that game qualifies for a state regional. The loser of the 1 p.m. game will play a 4 p.m. loser out/winner-to-regionals game.
Jack Bauer and Jake Hawken hit home runs, and Thomas Lampkin went 3 for 3 with two doubles and scored twice for Union. After Ethan Beniga drew a leadoff walk in the first inning, Bauer homered for a quick 2-0 lead. Brady Whalen’s sacrifice fly brought home a third first-inning run.
The Titans added four runs in the third inning. Jake Hawken homered with one out. Lampkin doubled, Jason Webb and Brady Whalen followed with singles, then Austin Cline delivered a two-run double with two outs.
Olstead allowed two hits in five innings on the mound for Union. Connor Stevenson and Brenden Marker each threw one inning to close out the win.
Gig Harbor 2, Skyview 1 — The defending state champion Storm’s season came to an end with Wednesday’s loss in bi-district play at Puyallup. Brooks Hanson pitched six strong innings, allowing only two hits and no earned runs, but Skyview (13-11) could only score one run from five hits and five Gig Harbor errors.
Curtis Perrin had two hits and Jake Dennis and Alec Cheney each hit doubles for the Storm. Hanson struck out three and walked four.
Skyview tied the game when Hanson scored in the top of the sixth, but Gig Harbor scored in the bottom of the sixth for the 2-1 lead.
3A bi-district: Bonney Lake 2, Mountain View 1 — Preston Jones was 3 for 3 with a triple for the Thunder, who now face a must-win game on Saturday to keep their season alive.
Mountain View will play Auburn Mountainview at 4 p.m. Saturday at Heidelberg Park in Puyallup in a loser-out game. The winner plays again at 7 p.m. for the fifth seed to state, the loser is eliminated.
