In the early game at Mel Olsen Stadium the Chief Sealth Seahawks took control of the Raiders of Nathan Hale. After getting through a scoreless first inning the Seahawk put three runs on the board in the top of the second and never looked back. Steady pitching, as always, came from Marley Lucas. Lucas went the distance with seven steady innings allowing only one earned run and three “K’s” in a 6-4 win.

Lucas pitched himself, and the team, out of what could have been a disastrous seventh inning. With a 6-4 lead in the seventh inning and two outs Lucas got into trouble when he walked two batters to load the bases for Ingraham. But Lucas got the next batter to ground out to first baseman Mason Moe for the final out of the game. It was smiles all around for head coach Ernest Policarpio and his staff.

Coach Policarpio told this writer on the sly he hasn’t officially announced his starting pitcher but it would be his Knuckleballer Blaine Steele. “I really want to keep him (Steele) a secret from the private schools” said Policarpio. Obviously coach “P” thinks highly of tonight’s starter against Seattle Prep.

Sealth will play the late game against Seattle Prep tonight (Friday) at 7pm in the game ten bracket.

West Seattle Wildcats vs. Ingraham Rams

The second game of the day featured the Wildcats of West Seattle hosting the Ingraham Rams in a contest under the field lights at Mel Olsen Stadium.

The Cats got off to a shaky start when in the top of the first inning two errors allowed two runs to score for the rams. Starting pitcher “TK” Snow over threw first baseman Rex Lakey in an attempt to hold a Rams base runner. That allowed a Rams base runner to score from third. Then catcher Jimmy Mai had a ball get by him to let another run come in. West Seattle would get out of the inning but starting a playoff game down two runs is not where West Seattle head coach Velco Vitalich wanted his squad to be.

The Rams would pick up two more runs in the top of the second when Ingraham catcher Darby Blake blasted a shot that bounced off of the top of the right field fence and into the parking lot of an adjacent apartment complex for a two run homer. Snow would get out of the inning but the Wildcats headed into the dugout with a 4-0 deficit to overcome. West Seattle would pick up a run in the second and fourth inning but still found themselves down 6-2 in the bottom of the fifth. That’s when the offensive floodgates opened up for the Wildcats scoring two runs off Rams starting pitcher Scott Sieverson and five runs off Rams reliever Jason Vickers. Two more runs were added by West Seattle in the sixth and after a dubious start the Wildcats cruise to a 11-7 tournament win. One of the highlights of the game for West Seattle came in the bottom of the sixth when Morgan McCullough blasted a shot over the left fielder, who was playing shallow.

The ball rolled all the way to the fence and by the time the cutoff throw reached the infield McCullough was sliding into home base for a solo inside the park home run. Unfortunately there was a West Seattle lowlight when in the top of the sixth inning Wildcat third baseman Cameron Slader was run into by a Rams base runner. The play was legal but resulted in Cameron being carried off the field with a knee injury. The severity of the injury is unknown at this time. The Wildcats next game will be today (Friday) at Mel Olsen Field against the Crusaders of Eastside Catholic at 4pm in the game nine bracket.

If both Sealth and West Seattle win tonight’s games they will face each other Saturday in the game eleven bracket listing to determine the #3 and #4 Metro seeding’s. Good luck to both squads tonight.