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Matt Wallis
Burlington-Edison’s Troy O’Neill (left) slides into second base past Sehome’s Wes Drilias.
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ANACORTES — A Burlington-Edison clash with Sehome on the second Saturday of the Northwest 2A District Tournament would have surprised few baseball fans in the area, but few would have predicted the two top seeds from the Northwest Conference would meet in a loser-out, winner-to-state contest.
The Tigers were eliminated one game shy of the regional playoffs Saturday with a 5-4 loss to Sehome at Daniels Field.
The defending state champion Mariners (18-4) sneak back into the regional playoffs behind five innings of relief work from Conor Long.
Long inherited a jam from starter Jared Vera in the third inning, escaped with just one run scored. He finished out the final five innings, allowing just two hits and striking out seven.
“He’s been money for us the past two weeks,” Sehome coach Gary Hatch said. “What a job to come into this kind of game with pressure and a good ball club in Burlington. The way they came out swinging the bats, I thought this was going to be a long day. He really stepped it up.”
After losing to Vera in the playoffs last year and during the regular season this year, the Tigers finally broke through against the Sehome senior. They roughed him up for four runs and six hits in two-plus innings.
“We had finally begun to swing the bats well and took advantage of some opportunities,” Burlington-Edison coach John Thurmond said. “... Then they brought in a new kid and we just had more troubles.”
Burlington-Edison left 10 runners on, nine of them in scoring position and four at third base. The Tigers were hitless in their final 11 at-bats with runners in scoring position.
The one inning Burlington-Edison was able to capitalize was the second, when Brian Holmkvist, Troy O’Neill and Jameson Acoba had consecutive two-out hits to drive in runs and give the Tigers a 3-0 lead.
The Tigers tacked one when Long hit two consecutive batters, the second, Holmkvist, with the bases loaded. Long would hit a total of four batters in the game, but pitched around the damage the other times.
Sehome got one back in the third on a Vera RBI double, then tied the score with three in the fourth. With the bases loaded, one out and a run already in, Will Moore hit a potential double-play ball to short. The Tigers got the force, but Tim Niebruegge slid hard into Acoba, disrupting the play. Acoba was left writhing in pain on the ground as his throw to first off target and allowed the tying run to score.
Thurmond said after the game he thought the play was clean. Acoba left the game and did not return.
The Mariners got the go-ahead run in the fifth without the benefit of a hit. With two out and a runner at second, Long grounded to short. The throw to first was wide, allowing Wes Drilias to come home with the winning run.
The win gives Sehome a chance to repeat its 2007 state title.
“These kids have worked their butts off all year,” Hatch said. “We beat a good club.”
• Eric Francis can be reached at 360-416-2131 or by e-mail at
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