By Eric Frith

For The Beachcomber

In a particularly unusual season condensed by a pandemic with a limited number of teams on the schedule, Vashon’s final game of the year followed suit and provided a wild, wild ride.

The day before the game, a last-minute change of location due to cases and contact tracing at Bellevue Christian flopped the Pirate’s planned away game against Cascade Christian into a home game hosting Seattle Christian.

Happy to have the home crowd behind them, the team took the field with senior Ty Radford on the mound. They were fighting to take that game which, with the recent schedule changes, would suddenly put them in the championship game against Cascade Christian two days later. Radford was pitching well but the Warrior’s bats were surprisingly hot and stayed that way. There were early signs that the Pirates were in for an intense game in the first inning, as catcher Finn Scriver made the last two outs of the inning on close plays at the plate.

With senior Sam Bock on the mound for the Warriors, Maxwell Deldago-Williams started his stellar day in the first inning with a single and would wind up going three for five, scoring four runs with two stolen bases. After one inning the score was 3-1, Seattle Christian.

Throughout the game, the Warriors completed outstanding defensive plays and gaped the ball repeatedly. The Pirates added even more challenge to their evening with a bevy of errors. Seattle Christian dropped seven runs on Vashon in the third inning, and when the Pirates came up to bat in the bottom of the fourth they were down 13-3 with the energy of the crowd and dugout down to a whisper.

But Vashon wasn’t done — apparently, the team decided it was not going out without giving it their all. Assistant Coach Greg McElroy kicked in the momentum shift during the fifth inning stretch by leading the home crowd in a stirring rendition of “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” with everyone standing on the bleachers and raising their arms, “and it’s one, two, three strikes, they’re out…”

Sam Walker took over the pitching in the fourth and slowed the Warriors’ scoring. Jack Harvey kept hopes alive with a two-RBI single down the left-field line which prevented a mercy rule end to the day. The game continued and you could feel the comeback brewing.

Will Weber crushed a three-run home run in the sixth and the crowd exploded. The dugout was rocking as Weber, now with five RBIs on the day, returned from his trip around the bases. Hope for a comeback was suddenly in full swing.

The Pirates stepped to the plate in the bottom of the last inning down 16-10 — a large hill yet to climb — but the energy was flowing their way. The first two outs went quickly, then Martin Ellison singled, Finn Hawkins singled, Harvey singled again adding his third RBI of the day. Delgado-Williams doubles and two more scores. With only one more out to get, the Warriors replace Bock on the mound and tensions built as the new pitcher tossed his warm-up pitches. Scriver singles and brings Delgado-Williams home. Weber steps up to bat representing the tying run at the plate and lines out to second, bringing the roller coaster ride of a game to an end, 16-14.

It was a truly thrilling finish to a season that says goodbye and thank you to its seniors and welcomes a talented young crew that promises fun years ahead for Vashon Baseball.

“The future looks very bright,” said Coach Perrin, “ they’ve been putting in more extra work than any group I’ve been around and we have one of the most talented groups at this age that I’ve seen.”