The Vashon Pirate baseball team entered this week still undefeated in Nisqually League play with an impressive 9-0 league record. With just three games to go in the regular season, all it needs to do is win one of them to take the league championship. Results of Monday’s home game with Seattle Christian were after press time.
The team travels to Cascade Christian in Puyallup today, Wednesday, and plays its final game at home on Friday, April 29, also against Cascade.
Vashon played three games last week, winning the two league games and dropping a close one to the Overlake School. Vashon’s defense was back on track in all three games and looked impressive as the team preps for the playoff run beginning next week.
On April 18, the team played its final matchup against Charles Wright. This game was much closer than the two previous contests, but the Pirates came away with a sound 8-3 victory. Ashton Dulfer got the start and pitched the first two innings, giving up two runs on two hits with three strikeouts and three walks. He was replaced on the mound by Jeremy Pilgrim-Stoppel, who pitched the rest of the game, giving up one run on six hits, with four strikeouts and five walks. Defensively, catcher Chester Pruett had two exceptional plays at the plate, including the game-ending tag after the Tarriers were mounting a late-game comeback. Offensively, the Pirates were led by Clyde Pruett with two RBIs and Logan Hawkins and Simon Perrin with two hits each.
Vashon played a home game against Overlake on Tuesday, April 19, and came up just short after some late heroics, falling by a final of 7-5. After a stable 0-0 first two innings, Overlake busted it open in the third, getting seven runs off Pirate starter Sam Schoenberg. The Bears scored all at once getting their seven runs on 10 hits off the Pirate starter. But Vashon didn’t lie down. They chipped away scoring one run in the fourth, and then one in the fifth off a bomb of a home run by junior Bryce Beaty. Reliever Chester Pruett entered the game and pitched shut out baseball, facing 19 batters in four innings, allowing only three hits, striking out six and walking two. In the bottom of the seventh with two outs, the Pirates mounted a rally scoring three with the big hit coming from Clyde Pruett with a two-run single.
Friday’s matchup against Seattle Christian was looking like a carbon copy of their first game with the score a tight 1-1 going into the sixth inning. Hawkins had the start and pitched the entire game, keeping the Warriors in check, allowing just the one run with only three hits, six strikeouts and two walks and a couple balls. In the top of the sixth, Clyde Pruett reached base on error and worked his way around to third on a hit by Harper Whitney. Pinch hitter Beaty laid down a picture-perfect suicide bunt down the first base line, allowing Clyde Pruett to score the go-ahead run. The Pirates got to Seattle Christian starter Brock Wrolstad, tacking on two more that inning courtesy of a double by Perrin, who had a hot bat all last week, and a single by Dulfer. The team played stout defense behind Hawkin’s exceptional pitching, holding the Warriors scoreless in their final two at bats. Vashon won by a final score of 4-1.
Senior Whitney has enjoyed his final year as a Pirate and reflected on the season.
“So far, I believe we’ve been playing as one all around fundamentally sound unit. I think if we can continue this trend, the sky’s the limit,” he said. “We trust one another on everything, and most of us have been playing together for 13 years. We’re ready for the playoff ride.”
The Pirates’ final home game is Friday, April 29, at 4 p.m. The seniors will be honored at a pre-game ceremony as the Pirates take on the Cascade Christian Cougars.
— Cheryl Pruett is the mother of two high school athletes.
