Baseball: Warriors, Loggers ready for state title runs

May 17—The Warrenton baseball team will be the No. 4 seed for an eight-team culminating week state tournament this week, as 3A baseball will try to determine an unofficial state champion for the shortened spring season.

Warrenton will be the home team in a first round game Tuesday at 4 p.m. against Joseph. The game will be played at The Dalles High School, Bob Williams Field.

Brookings-Harbor was the No. 1 seed, and will play Scio in North Bend. No. 2 seed Santiam Christian will host No. 7 seed Rainier.

Winners of 12 of their last 13 games, the Warriors finished the regular season with a doubleheader split and another league championship Friday at Rainier.

In Friday's twinbill, Rainier pitcher Brayden Marcum dominated the Warriors with a one-hitter in Game 1, striking out 15 in the five-inning, 11-1 win. Duane Falls had an RBI triple for Warrenton.

The Warriors answered with a 7-3 win in Game 2, in which Falls threw 110 pitches over five-and-two-thirds innings, before Dylon Atwood finished.

Falls was also 2-for-2 with a double, and Ethan Caldwell added a two-run triple. Hordie Bodden Bodden had a triple and scored a clutch run late. The Warriors had six steals.

Knappa still unbeaten

Knappa put the finishing touches on a perfect regular season with a doubleheader sweep Friday at Vernonia, 8-5 and 13-1.

Knappa (14-0 overall) is one of three undefeated teams heading into this week's 16-team 2A title week, which begins Tuesday. The Loggers will host Western Christian at 4 p.m.

In Friday's sweep, Knappa trailed 5-4 in the seventh inning of Game 1, before scoring four runs to take the lead. Drew Miller earned the win in relief. Cameron Miethe had several big defensive plays and scored twice.

In Game 2, Knappa's Mark Miller recorded his first pitching of the season, while Miethe, Drew Miller, Kutter Ball and Tanner Jackson led the offense.

Seaside 14, Astoria 7

Playing for second place in the Cowapa League, the Seaside and Astoria baseball teams pounded out lots of hits and runs in a regular season finale Saturday at Tapiola Park.

With four lead changes in six innings, the Gulls finally emerged victorious, 14-7.

Seaside finishes 7-5 overall, 6-5 in league play. Despite the shortened season, it's the first time the Gulls have finished with a winning record since 2011 (13-11), and the first winning record in league play since 2007 (8-7).

First-year Seaside coach Brett Wolfe, who had 494 career wins at North Medford, picked up career victory No. 501 Friday.

Both teams had seven hits, but the Gulls took advantage of 11 Astoria errors and 13 walks by five different Fishermen pitchers.

For Seaside, Lawson Talamantez and Justin Morris combined to strike out nine with six walks.

Trailing 7-6 after five innings, the Gulls scored two in the sixth and tacked on six runs in the seventh.

Tanner Kraushaar and Aedyn Cook were the only two players to have two hits for Seaside while Kaleb Bartel scored four runs and Kraushaar and Talamantez drove in three runs apiece.

Astoria had doubles from Hunter Ficken, Connelly Fromwiller, Aiden Giles and Tony Tumbarello.

The Gulls and Fishermen played four times this season, Seaside winning three.