by Eric Francis
Cory Campbell of Anacortes makes a stop Saturday during the Northwest 2A District Tournament.
ANACORTES — After switching defensive positions from first base to third in the seventh inning of his team’s do-or-die Northwest 2A District playoff game against Anacortes, Sehome’s Dane Siegfried chatted with Anacortes coach Pat Swapp as Swapp stood in the third-base coaching box.
“He said he felt pretty good hitting on this field,” Swapp recalled, shaking his head. “That was an understatement.”
Siegfried was about to feel even better.
Having already hit two solo home runs to account for his team’s only runs in a 2-2 tie, the burly senior cranked a walk-off grand slam in the bottom of the eighth inning to keep alive the Mariners’ dreams of a third straight state title.
Sehome’s 6-2 victory not only clinched a state playoff berth but ended a game that saw more drama in each half inning than many contests pack into a game. It also ended the Seahawks’ season at 16-7.
“That was as good a game as you’ll ever see, a great game,” Swapp said. “You’ve just got to tip your cap to a guy when he hits the ball that well.”
“I’ve never had that happen,” said Sehome coach Gary Hatch, now in his 30th year with the Mariners. “And to do it in a game like that, to go to state ...”
The game was effectively over before the ball sailed over the fence in center field. With the bases loaded and one out, all Siegfried needed was a deep enough fly ball to score Anthony Pitsch from third base.
“I took a couple pretty long cuts,” Siegfried said. “With two strikes, I just needed to get a hit. When I hit it, I didn’t think it was going to be out.
“There’s no feeling like it ... Unbelievable.”
That ended what had been a pitchers’ duel.
The Seahawks did little against Sehome starter John Albert in the first four innings. Albert faced one over the minimum and the Seahawks didn’t get a runner past second base. Two leadoff singles in the fifth, and an error with two out gave Anacortes a run to offset the first of Siegfried’s blasts.
With one out in the top of the six, Anacortes sophomore Cory Campbell took his turn as hero, blasting a solo shot to left center that gave Anacortes a 2-1 lead and put the Seahawks six outs away from a state tournament berth.
Ancortes pitcher Marcus Abbott, working on a five-hitter at that point, trimmed the number of outs needed to four when Siegfried strode to the plate for his third at-bat and promptly deposited the ball almost exactly where Campbell had.
The Seahawks had their chances in the top of the seventh, putting runners on second and third with one out, but Pitsch, in relief of Albert, wriggled out of the jam with a strikeout and a flyout to center.
Only a combination of bad Sehome baserunning and stout Anacortes defense sent the game to extra innings.
With Sehome’s Caleb Savage on second, Ben Wilson laced a single to left. Hatch put up a stop sign that Savage completely missed at third and left fielder Mark Medalia threw to catcher Gabe Aguilar, who tagged Savage out about 10 feet up the third base line from home.
Wilson, watching all this happen, was standing well off first base. Aguilar gunned down to first for the unusual 7-2-3 double play to end the inning.
Siegfried started an athletic 5-3 double play in the top of the eighth, going back to catch a looping line drive and throwing back to to first to double off Braiden Darling, who had been off with the pitch.
Eric Francis can be reached at 360-416-2131 or by e-mail at .
