The 1980s was big time of high school baseball in Clark County. Columbia River won the AAA state title in 1984, Prairie won the AA title in 1986 and Fort Vancouver won the AAA crown in 1990.
But 1989 was the biggest year when Columbia River won the AAA title and Prairie took the AA crown.
The Falcons were led by future major league pitcher Alan Embree that season. While arm troubles kept Embree off the mound that season, he contributed with his bat. The Falcons, led by coach Don Freeman, depended on the pitching of Troy Lukes and Steve Stuart, currently the city manager for Ridgefield.
This is the report of the Falcons’ state title win at the Kingdome in 1989.
SEATTLE — Lance Fisher got the pitch he wanted.
“I was looking for a pitch to drive,” Fisher said of his three-run double that highlighted Praire’s 5-4 Saturday state championship baseball win over Burlington-Edison at the Kingdome.
“I got a fastball – inside and belt high – and took it down the (left field) line,” Fisher said. “Definitely the biggest hit of my life.”
Prairie broke to a 5-0 lead then chocked off a three-run Burlington-Edison rally in the sixth inning to claim the Class AA state championship, its second in four years. Prairie also won the state title in 1986.
The win, the seventh in a row for the Falcons, left Prairie with a final record of 16-8. Burlington lost for the second time in 26 games. The only other Tiger loss was an 8-1 non-league decision to Edmonds.
Troy Lukes was the opener, the closer and the winner for the Falcons. He took a break from the mound for part of the fifth and sixth innings when he was replaced by R.T. Cutler.
But Cutler ran into problems and coach Don Freeman put Lukes back on the mound in the sixth inning.
“I was disappointed when he took me out because I wanted to finish the game,” Lukes said. “But I was a little tired because it was so hot out there. When I came back in to pitch, Coach Freeman told me to just throw strikes. I knew I couldn’t blow it by them because my arm was shot. I just wanted to pitch strikes, have them put the ball in play and let the defense do the job.”
Lukes quelled the uprising in the sixth inning, then allowed only one base runner in the seventh.
“We make ’em tough,” Freeman said. “They’re all tough, but we make ’em tougher. The last couple of innings we played like we were afraid to lose instead of playing to win.”
Prairie grabbed a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning as it combined two hits with a throwing error. Alan Embree led off the inning with a single up the middle and stole second base. He moved to third on an infield single by C.J. Johnson and scored when the throw from the shortstop got past the first baseman.
The bases-loaded double by Fisher was the key hit as the Falcons pushed the lead to 5-0 with a four runs in the fourth inning.
Jason Weissner singled up the middle to launch the fourth. With two out, Eric Sawyer drew a walk and Alan Embree beat out a single when his infield chopper took a high bounce off the artificial surface and didn’t come down in time for Burlington to make a play at second base.
Fisher then laced a 3-2 pitch down the left-field line for the hit-and-run double to score all three baserunners. Fisher raced home when Johnson drove a single up the middle.
Lukes worked out of a jam in the first inning after he walked three of the first four Burlington batters. Lukes then struck out the No. 5 batter and got No. 6 to hit a ground ball to end the inning.
Embree, Fisher and Johnson each had two of Prairie’s eight hits.
In 5 2/3 innings, Lukes struck out six and allowed three hits, but he walked seven and hit one batter. In 1 1/3 innings, Cutler allowed two hits, walked two and struck out one.
Written by Lynn Matthews, The Columbian, May 28, 1989
