RIDGEFIELD — Though it looked like the game would be closer than many thought at the beginning, the Tumwater baseball team pulled away late from Shelton in the 2A District 4 semifinals in Ridgefield to advance to the district title game, 9-1.
The Thunderbirds got off to a slow start at the plate, scoring first in the fourth inning thanks to a Graysen Reveal RBI-double, but the Highclimbers responded right back with a run in the top of the fifth to even the score with two and a half innings to play.
To that point, the Thunderbirds had just one base hit, Reveal’s double.
“We weren’t having the best approaches in the first couple of innings,” T-Bird infielder and pitcher Ryan Orr said. “We were missing our pitches, but we got into a rhythm and started to hit the ball.”
Then, the T-Bird bats came alive.
Tumwater put two runs across in the fifth inning and added five in the sixth to pull away for the victory. Reveal added another RBI on a double in the fifth, and Kyler Collier went 1 for 2 with a run scored and two RBIs as well.
All the while on the mound, starter Jordan Hanson was dealing for the T-Birds. Hanson went six innings, allowing just the one earned run on six hits and five walks with seven strikeouts.
“He was good, he did well,” Orr said. “He’s done good all year long and pitched a great game today.”
The win gives the Thunderbirds an automatic bid to the regional round of state, and a berth into the D4 district title game on Friday at Ridgefield against the winner of W.F. West and Columbia River, being played later on Wednesday.
No matter who it is Friday, the T-Birds say they will be ready.
“If we just play our game, we’ll be fine,” Orr said. “We take what the other team gives us and get timely hits.”
