Prep baseball: State tournaments start across region
Washington state baseball tournaments all start on Saturday across the state at regional sites, with winners of the single-elimination tourneys advancing to the state sites May 26-27.
The Spokane area does not have a representative in the higher classifications this season, with no 4A or 3A teams qualifying for state.
In 2A, Cheney (13-11) finished last of five teams in the Great Northern League then made a remarkable run through districts and a crossover game, winning six in a row. The Blackhawks face Olympic at Johnson-O’Brien Stadium in Ephrata at 1 p.m.
In 1A, Freeman (19-2) went undefeated in Northeast A League play and came out of district play as the No. 1 seed. The Scotties face Naches Valley at Larson Field in Moses Lake at 10 a.m. If they win, they’ll play again later against the Bellevue Christian/Connell winner.
The 2A and 1A state site is County Stadium in Yakima
In 2B, Asotin (14-6) faces Kittitas at 10 a.m. at Pete Orgill Field in Yakima and Kettle Falls (15-4) takes on Wahkiakum at 10 a.m. at Volunteer Part in Anacortes. Northwest Christian (12-6) plays Brewster at 10 a.m. and Colfax (17-1) faces Liberty Bell at 1 p.m., both at Ferris HS, with the winners of those two games facing off later in the day.
In 1B, Almira/Coulee-Hartline (18-0) plays Evergreen Lutheran at 10 a.m. at WF West HS in Chehalis. Odessa-Harrington (13-4) faces Colton (12-4) at 10 a.m. and Pomeroy plays Sunnyside Christian at 1 p.m. at Borleske Stadium in Walla Walla, with the winners meeting later that day.
The 2B and 1B state site is Wheeler Field in Centralia.
Idaho
The State 5A, 4A and 3A tournaments – all in the Boise area – begin on Thursday and conclude on Saturday.
In 5A, Coeur d’Alene (15-10), which finished last in league, got hot at the right time. The Vikings face Southern Idaho Conference champ Rocky Mountain (19-5) in an opener at Borah High School at 6:15 p.m.
CdA lost a regional opener to Lewiston 3-2 before winning three straight – 2-1 over Post Falls, 10-0 over defending state champ Lake City and 8-3 over Mountain View in a play-in game last Saturday.
In 4A, Lakeland (11-8) meets Skyline (15-13) at Bishop Kelly High School.
In 3A, Bonners Ferry (18-3), third a year ago, opens against Teton (8-9), winless in league, and Timberlake (8-10) takes on Sugar-Salem (19-4).