The Kelso Hilanders had more than a league championship to play for Monday afternoon at Columbia River High School.
They had a chance to play two home games in the Class 3A bi-district tournament Saturday.
They earned those games with a 7-5 victory over the Chieftains, claiming the 3A Greater St. Helens League baseball title.
Columbia River, meanwhile, will travel to Enumclaw as the No. 2 seed for two games Saturday.
Coach Stephen Donohue reminded the Chieftains that there have been years when the program failed to win a league title but still made a long playoff run.
“We wanted to win the league title, but it’s really what you do in May playoffs,” Donohue said. “We’ve made a good name for ourselves in May playoffs the last (few) years.”
Kelso (8-1 GSHL) trailed 3-0 after giving up three unearned runs in the second inning, then scored at least a run in each of the last five frames to top the Chieftains. Pitcher Tyler Parsons went six innings for the win.
“I knew they were a good hitting team going into it, and I had to be on my game,” Parsons said.
He and the Hilanders circled this game on the calendar long ago, when the brackets came out that the top seed from the GSHL — no matter the team — would play at Kelso.
Josh McClain went 3 for 4 with two doubles and drove in two runs for Kelso. Mason Meeker, Quinton McDaniel, and Davis Radcliffe each had two hits.
“It’s nice to know they had my back and they are able to score some runs for me when I’m on the mound,” Parsons said.
Steve Christen struck out two in the seventh to pick up the save.
The Chieftains (7-2 GSHL) took advantage of an error to score three runs in the second inning. Jace McKinney’s two-run triple was the big hit of the frame.
Two errors led to to two Kelso runs in the fourth inning and another River error led to a run in the fifth.
It was 6-3 going into the bottom of the sixth before Tyler Hellman and Drew Moore each hit run-scoring doubles for the Chieftains.
Hellman, Alex McGarry, and McKinney each had two hits for River.
Kelso would get another run in the top of the seventh, and River did not respond in the bottom of the frame.
“You make little mistakes in a big ball game, it can cost you,” Donohue said, adding both teams made their share. “We made more than they did.”
It cost the Chieftains a league title, but as Donohue pointed out, not a season.
The postseason begins Saturday.
Note: The 3A bi-district will have 16 teams competing for five berths to state. The four teams that go 2-0 on Saturday will qualify for state. The teams that go 1-1 Saturday would then have to win three elimination games to earn the final berth to state.
