Olympia stops Puyallup, 2-1, to repeat as Class 4A District 3/4 baseball champion

KENT, Wash. - It's not just the 4A SPSL's best rivalry going in baseball - it's arguably the best in the state of Washington.

Olympia versus Puyallup.

And in another tension-filled postseason encounter, the Bears came out on top, 2-1, in the championship game of the 4A West Central/Southwest District tournament Saturday night at Art Wright Field at Kent Memorial Park.

Buoyed by superb pitching by sophomore Trace Pruitt (five innings of one-run ball) and senior Riley Snow (two-inning save), Olympia defended its bi-district crown - and very well could be writing a similar script as last season.

Last spring, the Bears beat the 15-time defending 4A SPSL champions, 8-4, in the bi-district title game, then went on to trip them up for the WIAA title two weeks later (7-6).

"We prepare for pressure, and we feel it brings the best out in us," Olympia baseball coach Derek Weldon said.

Both teams had chances to take an early lead - especially the Bears, who left the bases loaded in the first inning, then two more runners on in the second inning against Vikings left-hander Michael LeJeune.

But they broke through in the fifth inning on Evan Nicol's RBI single to left field, followed by a run-scoring safety-squeeze bunt by Jack Skelley for a 2-0 Olympia lead.

The Vikings got one back on Jackson Copeland's sacrifice fly to center field, but Pruitt kept it at 2-1 by striking out Stanford commit Kai Halstead to end the inning - and pumped his fist knowing it was a big moment.

"I just play every game with hard emotions," Pruitt said. "It’s love for the game - and my passion."

The Vikings' final push came in the seventh inning. They put two runners on, but Snow struck out Copeland looking to end the game. 

"If you had told me before the game we give up two runs, I would tell you we are going to win this game," Puyallup baseball coach Marc Wiese said.

It capped a pretty impressive Saturday for the Bears, who defeated the top two teams in the WIAA's RPI rankings (Tahoma, Puyallup).

Olympia's title-game win also snapped Puyallup's 17-game winning streak - and added another chapter to a series that has already seen 10 games played between the two teams in the past two-plus seasons (Viks hold 6-4 advantage).

"Is there a better (rivalry)?" Weldon said. "I hope we have a chance to see each other again, because if that happens, we are where we want to be."