Monday, May 26, 2014

Tritons Claim NWAACC Title

Edmonds celebrates its 2014 NWAACC Title
Lane Box | Bellevue Box | Photos



LONGVIEW __ Tyler Baker’s RBI single in the bottom of the eighth inning plated the game-winning run as Edmonds held on to beat Northern Division rival Bellevue 7-6 in the title game of the NWAACC Baseball Championship on David Story Field Monday at Lower Columbia College.

Edmonds, which won its seventh title and first since 2008, finished 39-8. Bellevue finished 28-23.

Earlier in the day, Edmonds beat Lane 9-2 behind another solid pitching performance from lefty Zach Johnson who picked up his 10th win of the year. That outcome pushed the Tritons into the 11th title game appearance in school history. The victory also avenged Edmonds’ 6-5 loss to Bellevue in the tournament on Saturday.

“Our mantra all season was returning to the NWAACC tournament,” Edmonds coach Scott Kelly said. “We feel we should be here every year.”

Kelly said his players took to the idea, resulting in winning the Northern Division title. Edmonds also won the North Region tournament by sweeping three games there, including two against the Bulldogs.

“They really held onto it, battled all season and got things done,” he said. “This is a special team of guys who really liked each other a lot. They have a lot of character, and it was fun to show up every day and be with them.”

Edmonds jumped on Bellevue starter Alex Hatch for four runs in the second inning. Chris Osborne and Conor Plaisance slapped singles, Ryan Budnick and Jamie Umbinetti each coaxed walks, and Ryan Archibald hit a two-run double down the left field line before the first out was recorded.

Tournament MVP Chris Osborne and Coach of the Year Scott Kelly.
Osborne, who finished 4-for-4, was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.

“I had a good tournament,” said Osborne, who hit .500 with five RBIs. “I looked for pitches to hit, I did my job and it felt good.”

Bellevue scored twice in the fifth inning highlighted by RBI singles from Brady Kerr and Alex Check, and tied the game at 4-4 in the sixth inning following singles from Nate Anderson, Nick Pribble and Brady Kerr.

The Bulldogs pulled ahead 5-4 in the seventh when Anderson hit an RBI double to left-center field, but Edmonds answered with two runs in the bottom of the inning. TC Florentine clubbed a two-out triple into the right field corner, and came home on a base hit from Ryan Budnick. Four pitches later, Budnick scampered home after Osborne hit his fourth single of the game.

An obscure rule violation during the seventh inning resulted in the ejection of Bellevue coach Mark Yoshino. The Bulldogs’ skipper visited his pitcher, Alex Hatch, on the mound after Hatch threw his first pitch to Osborne. Two pitches later, Yoshino went back out to the mound to pull Hatch in favor of reliever Brandon Mahovlich.

What Yoshino didn’t realize was a rule which states he can’t visit the mound twice during the same at-bat. Hatch threw two more pitches to Osborne, one of which resulted in an RBI single, before he was lifted for Mahovlich.

“Apparently the umpires knew the rule because I’m not smart enough to think of that,” Kelly said with a chuckle. “We caught a break on that one. It’s unfortunate, but a great break for us.”

Bellevue tied the game at 6-6 in the eighth with an RBI single from Check, but the Tritons ahead for good in the bottom of the eighth on Baker’s RBI single.

“Bellevue’s a good club which is well-coached,” Kelly said. “We knew if we got up four runs they wouldn’t quit and would come back and give us everything we could handle.”

Edmonds finished with 12 hits, including two from Budnick.

“I knew we’d have more offense at the end of the game, and I hoped it would come in time to pull us through,” Osborne said. “Our pitching was going to hold them off.”

Matt Becker scattered seven hits and struck out four through five innings before yielding to Andrew Kemmerer, who allowed eight hits through three innings for the win. DJ Oliver allowed one hit in the ninth for the save.

Kerr went 4 for 4 to lead Bellevue’s 16-hit attack. Check was 3 for 5 with two RBIs, and Anderson was 3 for 5 with a double.

2014 NWAACC All-Tournament Team
MVP:   Chris Osborne, Edmonds
Catcher: Brady Kerr, Bellevue
Infield:
Erik Long, Lane
Aaron Stroosma, Bellevue
Reed Johnson, Tacoma
Jarren Goddard, Lane
Jamie Umbinetti, Edmonds
Ryan Budnick, Edmonds
Outfield:
Spencer Smith, Lane
Kurt Lindemann, Bellevue
Joakim Soderqvist, Bellevue
Utility:
Matt Becker, Edmonds
Pitcher:
Zach Johnson, Edmonds
Aaron Sanderfur, Bellevue
Ryan Schmitten, Pierce

Andrew Kemmerer, Edmonds

Sunday, May 25, 2014

Osborne's Hit Lifts EdCC Over Tacoma

DJ Oliver back flips before EdCC's win over Tacoma.
Oliver would get the win nearly 7 hours later
box score | video 

LONGVIEW - Despite a nearly five-hour rain delay and a ton of missed opportunities, Edmonds CC topped Tacoma CC 3-2 in ten innings Sunday night in a loser-out game at the NWAACC tournament. DH Chris Osborne delivered the game-winning hit with two outs in the tenth, a shot that hit the base of the center field wall. 

With the hard-fought victory, the Tritons live another day and will face Lane (30-17) at 12:05 pm Monday. If EdCC wins that game the Tritons will meet up with Bellevue (28-22) and play for the NWAACC title at 3:05 pm.

Sophomore Colin Samuelson started for Edmonds against TCC and went six solid innings in which he didn't allow a run. The Titans didn't get a hit until the fourth but would threatened in both the fifth and sixth innings. However, a double play erased one threat and a few hard shots that were gloved ended the other. 

The Tritons were up 2-0 at that point thanks to RBI hits by outfielders TC Florentine and Matt Becker. That's when the rain started falling on Lower Columbia's Story Field.


The game was halted in the middle of the sixth at around 3:30 pm. Play wasn't resumed until 8:00 pm but EdCC's offense didn't show up for more than another hour. The Tritons failed to score from the second inning on while a fired-up Tacoma squad pushed across runs in the eighth and ninth to tie the game at 2-2.

Edmonds finally got their bats going in the tenth. Becker started things off with a one out single to left. Catcher Kyle Olson followed with a single to right that put the speedy Becker on third. The Titans then intentionally walked Florentine to set up a force out at any bag. 

A strikeout by first baseman Ryan Budnick had Tacoma one out away from escaping the jam but Osborne put together an amazing at-bat and finally crushed a full-count offering from Joey Gamache for the walk-off.

DJ Oliver picked up the win for EdCC (37-8) after two innings of one run relief. Kameron Miner threw the seventh and eighth frames, yielding just one run.

The NWAACC's No. 1-ranked Titans end the year with a 39-8 record.

No. 2-ranked Edmonds beat Lane 8-0 Thursday in an Opening Round game but the Titans, who play in the South, have gone on a roll since, topping Columbia Basin 6-0, Treasure Valley 7-0 and Bellevue 6-2.

Saturday, May 24, 2014

Tritons Drop Into Loser's Bracket After Loss to Bellevue

Conor Plaisance rips a hit against Bellevue Saturday
at David Story Field. The Tritons would lose, however.
box score

LONGVIEW -- Edmonds CC had beaten Bellevue five straight times but the Bulldogs got a good measure of revenge against their North Region rivals at Story Field Saturday after they topped the Tritons 6-5 in the winner's bracket game of the NWAACC Championships. 

EdCC drops into the loser's bracket where they will take on Tacoma in a loser-out game Sunday at 2:05 pm. Bellevue (28-21) will face Lane at 7:05 pm. The lone unbeaten squad remaining in the tournament, the Bulldogs are assured a spot in the title game and can finish no less than second place. Edmonds needs to win Sunday and then twice on Monday to claim the NWAACC title.

EdCC got off to a good start on Saturday, plating a pair of first inning runs off of Bulldog ace Nick Kiel. Ryan Budnick and Chris Osborne each delivered RBI hits in the frame. But as would be the case for most of the game, the Tritons failed to capitalize with more runs. 

Bellevue pounced on Triton starter Austin Lee, scoring a run in the first and three more in the second to take a 4-2 lead. Edmonds got one back in the third but two more runs by BC in the home half of the inning off of reliever Torin Dooley had the Bulldogs up 6-3.

That would be the last runs for Bellevue of the day as Dooley settled in and pitched brilliantly over the final five frames.

The Triton offense chipped away with runs in the fourth and fifth but despite an ever increasing pitch count by Kiel and numerous opportunities, Edmonds could not come up with the clutch hit. Kiel (7-4) sealed the win with a foul pop up on his 139th pitch of the game.

Lee dropped to 8-1 after allowing four runs on four hits in two innings of work. Dooley fanned seven and gave up two runs in his five-inning stint.

Edmonds (36-8) had 13 hits and three walks Saturday but stranded 11 runners. Osborne and Conor Plaisance each had three hits in the loss.

Tacoma and Edmonds finished the regular season ranked No. 1 and 2 in the NWAACC respectively. The Titons enter Sunday with a 39-7 record. 

Edmonds Outlasts Pierce in NWAACC Thriller

Jaime Umbinetti blasted a 3-run homer Friday
against Pierce at the NWAACC Tournament
box score

LONGVIEW -- Edmonds Community College defeated Pierce College 6-3 (10) at Story Field Friday night in a NWAACC winner's bracket contest. The win propels the Tritons (36-7) into a meeting with Bellevue College 7 p.m. Saturday evening. 

EdCC and BC are the North's No. 1 and 2 seeds, respectively. The Bulldogs reached Saturday's winner's bracket game by knocking off South No. 1 Clark 8-7 (11) and South No. 2 Treasure Valley 3-0. The two teams met six times this season with the Tritons winning five.

Friday's contest with Pierce was scheduled to start at 7:35 p.m. but did not begin until 10 p.m. due to a three-hour rain delay earlier in the day. The game turned out to be a fast paced one due to the pitching of EdCC's Andrew Kemmerer and PC's Darrien Moran.  Both hurlers were in control until the seventh inning.

That's when each side struck for three runs. Ryan Budnick and Chris Osborne each singled for Edmonds in the top of the inning, setting the table for Jaime Umbinetti who crushed a Moran offering over the right field wall.

Stunningly, the Raiders answered with three of their own in the same frame. Luke Heyer doubled home the first run and came home on a single from Jarred Prather. Prather reached second on the throw home and scored from second on an infield single by Dalton Elmer.

The game remained tied through nine, though each team had its chances and each side made run-saving defensive plays. Pierce's second baseman Brett Oyer threw Becker out at home on a grounder and EdCC's Conor Plaisance threw a runner out at third from deep left center in the seventh.

It wasn't until the tenth that Edmonds came through with three runs and claim the hard-fought victory.

Plaisance walked for EdCC to lead off the inning, chasing Moran from the hill. Umbinetti reached on an error by Pierce's first baseman and Tyler Baker coaxed a walk to load the bases.

Matt Becker then came through with his fourth hit of the night, a single up the middle that plated two runners. Kyle Olson laid down a bunt that brought home the third run of the inning.

DJ Oliver entered for Kemmerer in the tenth and set down the Raiders 1-2-3 to earn the save. The last pitch was delivered at 12:17 am Saturday morning.

Kemmerer improved to 10-1 after nine gritty innings of work in which he allowed three runs on 10 hits with 12 strikeouts. The sophomore fanned six batters in a row at one point. 

Pierce (28-12) falls into the loser's bracket and will face West rivals Tacoma Saturday at 2:00 p.m.

Thursday, May 22, 2014

Tritons Defeat Titans in NWAACC Opener

Zach Johnson allowed just two hits in eight
innings of work Thursday in EdCC's
opening game at the NWAACC Championships
box score

LONGVIEW -- Zach Johnson was stellar on the mound and the Triton offense pounded out 13 hits in EdCC's 8-0 win over Lane CC in an opening round game of the NWAACC Championships at Story Field Thursday.

Edmonds improves to 35-7 on the year and advances in the winner's bracket to face either Pierce or Columbia Basin Friday at 7:35 pm.

Johnson went eight innings, allowing just two hits while striking out six batters. Only two Lane runners reached second base against the Triton lefty who improved to 9-1 on the year.

It didn't take long for North #1 seed Edmonds to get to the South's No. 2-seed, scoring four runs in the bottom of the first inning. Ryan Budnick singled home the first two runs with Conor Plaisance and Jamie Umbinetti each with a RBI single.

The Tritons added two more runs in the second when Kyle Olson singled home Tyler Baker and when Plaisance was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.

Those two runs chased Titan starter Travis Kelly (4-1) from the hill. Lane would utilize four relievers in the game, the last three each tossing scoreless frames.

The contest was already in hand for Edmonds by then, however, as the Tritons added insurance runs in the fourth and fifth innings. DJ Oliver threw a perfect ninth to end the game for EdCC.

Olson went 3-for-4 with three runs scored to lead the Triton attack. Baker, TC Florentine and Chris Osborne had two hits apiece.

Lane fell to 27-17 and will play the loser of the Piece / CBC game in an loser-out game Friday at 12:35 pm.

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Follow EdCC Baseball at NWAACCs

The Edmonds Community College baseball team qualified for the 2014 NWAACC Tournament as the North's No. 1-seed. The Tritons will be down in Longview starting on May 22 as they go for their eighth NWAACC Championship. 

So make sure to check this page often for results, box scores, pictures, recaps and links to live stats and live radio feeds.

Location: David Story Field, Lower Columbia College, 1810 maple Street, Longview, WA.

Game 3: Edmonds def. Lane 8-0 box score |recap
Game 8: Edmonds def. Pierce 6-3 (11) box score | recap
Game 11: Bellevue def. Edmonds 6-5 box score | recap

Game 12: Edmonds def. Tacoma 3-2 (10) box score | video  | recap
Game 14: Edmonds def. Lane 9-2 box score | recap
Game 15: Edmonds def. Bellevue 7-6 box score | recap


Helpful Links

Sunday, May 18, 2014

EdCC Beats Bellevue in North Region Title Tilt

box score | Photos
NWAACC Championship Info & Bracket


LYNNWOOD – It’s two down and hopefully one to go for Edmonds Community College baseball. On Sunday the North Region regular season champions notched another crown  -- the  North Region Tournament Title – by beating Bellevue 6-2 at Triton Field.

Edmonds improves to 34-7 and advances to the 8-team NWAACC Championship Tournament hosted by Lower Columbia College in Longview, Washington. The Tritons will be the North’s No. 1-seed and will open up with the 2-seed in the South, Lane CC, at 4:35 p.m. Thursday, May 22.

EdCC has won seven NWAACC championships, the last time was in 2008. Ranked second overall, the Tritons have as good as shot as anyone else there.  Tacoma CC (37-6) is the only team that has more wins this year than does Edmonds.

Since the Tritons had already earned one of the North's two NWAACC slots by taking the regular season crown, Bellevue (25-21) as tournament runner ups, will represent the North as the 2-seed. The Bulldogs will take on #1 seed Clark at 9:35 a.m. Thursday.

Triton starter Austin Lee (8-0) was the winner in Sunday's North title tilt vs. Bellevue. The freshman went the distance, allowing just two runs on eight hits.

Edmonds bunch its hits and runs together. The Tritons scored two runs in the bottom of the second inning when Ryan Budnick doubled and scored on a single from Chris Osborne. Osborne would later come around to score on a RBI single from Tyler Baker. 

The Tritons effectively put the game away with four runs in the fifth. Baker walked to lead off the frame with both Matt Becker and Kyle Olson following with singles. TC Florentine coaxed a bases-loaded walk for one run and an RBI ground out from Budnick produced another. A wild pitch and a Bulldog error allowed two more Tritons to score.

The six-run lead would hold up until Bellevue plated two runs in the top of the ninth for the 6-2 final.

The win was the third straight for the Tritons at the North Region Tournament. Edmonds got to the title game by defeating Skagit Valley 6-2 on Friday and Bellevue 8-3 on Saturday.

Becker and Olson were each 2-for-5 for EdCC. 



Saturday, May 17, 2014

Tritons Top Bellevue; Advance to North Title Tilt

Andrew Kemmerer delivers a pitch Saturday
box score

LYNNWOOD -- Andrew Kemmerer went seven solid innings and Kyle Olson drove in three runs as No. 1 seed Edmonds CC defeated No. 2 seed Bellevue 8-3 in the winner's bracket game of the North Region Tournament Saturday at Triton Field. EdCC advances to Sunday's tournament championship game at noon. 

The Bulldogs face Douglas College in Saturday's second elimination game at 7:40 pm. The winner of the BC vs. DC tilt will not only advance to play the Tritons on Sunday, they will also earn the region's second berth to the NWAACC Championship Tournament along with Edmonds as EdCC being the North's regular season champs, are already guaranteed a spot. 

Saturday's game was scoreless until the bottom of the third. That's when Olson hit a two-run homer and Chris Osborne collected a RBI triple.

EdCC tacked on a run in the sixth when Ryan Budnick hit a solo shot to left. The Bulldogs finally got to Kemmerer in the top of the seventh, Sheldon Stober doubling home two.

The Tritons responded with two of their own in the home half of the inning. BC plated a run in the top off the eighth but two insurance runs by Edmonds in the bottom of the inning resulted in the final 8-3 score.

Kemmerer improved to 9-1 on the year after allowing two unearned runs off seven hits. DJ Oliver threw the last two frames. 

Both Olson and Matt Becker had three hits for Edmonds in the win.

The NWAACC No. 2-ranked Tritons improved to 33-7 overall, the Bulldogs fell to 24-20.

Friday, May 16, 2014

Back-To-Back Homers Lift EdCC over SVC

Shortstop Ryan Archibald had three hits
including a homer Friday vs. Skagit Valley
box score

LYNNWOOD -- Jaime Umbinetti and Ryan Archibald hit back-to-back home runs to lift No. 1 seed Edmonds CC over 4-seed Skagit Valley 6-2 in a North Region playoff game Friday evening at Triton Field.

The win pushes EdCC (32-7) into a winner's bracket contest against No. 2 seed Bellevue (24-19) Saturday at 4 pm. BC defeated 3 seed Douglas 5-2 earlier in the day. Skagit Valley (17-22) and DC (16-16) play a loser-out contest at 1 pm Saturday.

SVC scored first against Edmonds ace Zach Johnson, pushing across a run in the first inning. The Tritons finally put a run on the board in the third when Matt Becker singled and scored on a double from Kyle Olson.

The two rivals exchanged runs in the fifth, EdCC's run came off a double from Tyler Baker.

An inning and a half went by before Umbinetti was sent up to pinch-hit. The lefty swinger hammered an offering from Peter Bovenkamp into the right field netting to give EdCC a 3-2 lead. Archibald was the next batter and he sent a blast into the left field netting for a 4-2 Triton advantage.

Edmonds scored twice more in the eighth on a two-run double from Archibald. The Triton shortstop went 3-for-4 on the day with three RBI.

Johnson (8-1) picked up the win with seven innings pitched in which he allowed two runs. DJ Oliver threw the final two frames to earn the save.


Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Softball Loses Twice at OC in Season Finale

box one | box two | photos

BREMERTON -- The EdCC softball team suffered two losses at Olympic's Lion's Field on Tuesday, 6-5(8) and 6-1. With the two losses, Edmonds finishes the year 9-17 overall, 6-14 North. The Tritons are eliminated from postseason contention, missing out by one game for fourth place to Everett.

Nevertheless, it was a terrific year for the EdCC squad and first-year head coach Shawna Juarez. The program she took over had not won a game in nearly eight years and was in the hunt for a playoff spot until the final day of the season.


The Tritons and Rangers were tied in game one through seven frames. Olympic won in extra innings on a walk-off hit in the eighth. Taking the loss was Sierra Card (5-9) who gave up just three earned runs in 7.1 innings of work.

Edmonds out hit the Rangers 11-8, led by two-hit efforts from Ryanne Fazio, Madisyn Napier, Arista Honey and Mallori Cossell.

OC and starter Erika Henderson were in control of the nightcap. Henderson allowed just three hits and one run. Meanwhile the Rangers scored three runs off Napier and another three runs off Card.




Tuesday, May 13, 2014

EdCC to Host North Region Baseball Tournament

Edmonds CC won the North Region baseball regular season championship and will host the NWAACC North Region Tournament this Friday to Sunday at Triton Field. The 4-team tournament will feature #1 seed EdCC, #2 seed Bellevue, #3 seed Douglas and #4 seed Skagit Valley.

Edmonds is already guaranteed a spot in the 8-team NWAACC championships that start on May 22 in Longview, Washington. BC, DC and SVC are fighting for the North's other seed. The winner of the North Tournament, or the runner up if Edmonds wins, will also qualify for the NWAACC championships.

NORTH TOURNAMENT BRACKET 

Results:
G1: Bellevue 5, Douglas 2 box score
G2: Edmonds 6, Skagit Valley 2 box score
G3: Douglas 7, Skagit Valley 6 (11), Skagit Eliminated box score
G4: Edmonds 8, Bellevue 3 box score
G5: Bellevue 5, Douglas 0 (Douglas Eliminated) box score
G6: Edmonds 6, Bellevue 2 (Edmonds Wins Title) box score

Edmonds will be the North's #1 seed at the NWAACC Tourney; Bellevue will be the 2-seed.

NWAACC Bracket
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Monday, May 12, 2014

EdCC Hires Beitel as Women's Soccer Head Coach

LYNNWOOD – Edmonds Community College Athletic Director Jorge de la Torre announced the hiring of Brittney Beitel as women’s soccer head coach on Monday, May 12. Beitel will take over the program for Jeanette Delaney who stepped down last month after nine years at EdCC.
The Tritons won the NWAACC North Region regular season title in 2013 and reached the NWAACC Championship game.
“Brittney was the clear choice of the athletic administration and she impressed both Jeanette and our men’s coach, Brandon Mitalas,” said de la Torre. “Brittney has some big shoes to fill, but I am confident that she is more than up to the challenge.”
Beitel’s coaching experience includes working as an assistant under Darren Bell at Skagit Valley College and as a coach for the Washington Rush, a premier soccer club in Everett. 
Beitel competed collegiately at the Division I level for the University of Idaho, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in Science and Physical Education. Beitel prepped at Emerald Ridge High School in Puyallup, and also played with the Nortac Blaze in Tacoma.
“I am equally humbled and excited for this opportunity,” said Beitel. “I am looking forward to this new chapter in my life, here at Edmonds Community College. I know I have a great deal of responsibilities to fulfill, but I welcome the challenge!”
Beitel resides in Everett and also works as a personal trainer at Colombia Athletic Club.
“I am anxious to start the new season and share my knowledge and experiences with the Women’s Soccer Program,” stated Beitel. “I cannot wait to get to know everyone and continue the solid foundation put forth by Coach Delaney. Go Tritons!”

Sunday, May 11, 2014

Triton Baseball Claims North Region Title

The Tritons dog pile after winning Sunday 

LYNNWOOD – After losing its first game at Bellevue on Saturday, the EdCC Triton baseball team needed to beat the Bulldogs in three straight in order to win the NWAACC North Region regular season championship. 

That’s just what happened.

Following a 4-1 victory in Saturday’s nightcap at Courter Field, NWAACC No. 2-ranked Edmonds swept the third-ranked Bulldogs at Triton Field Sunday 6-5 and 11-4. The sweep not only hands EdCC (31-7, 19-5 North) the region crown for the first time since 2010, it assures the team a spot in the eight-team NWAACC Championship Tournament in Longview starting on May 22.

Edmonds CC will also host the three-day, four-team NWAACC North Tournament starting on Friday, May 16. EdCC is the No. 1 seed in the tournament, followed by Bellevue (23-19, 18-6), Douglas (16-15, 15-9) and either Skagit Valley Everett (19-20, 12-12). The two to four seeds will battle for the region’s second berth to the NWAACC Championships.

Sunday’s opener didn’t seem that way early, but was a nail-biter down to the last pitch. Edmond put up three runs in the bottom of the first inning highlighted by a two-run single from Connor Plaisance. 

The Bulldogs came back with two runs off of Triton starter Austin Lee in the third before EdCC responded with three more in the fourth. Ryan Budnick delivered a two-run single in that frame.

Bellevue would not go down quietly, however, pushing across two runs in the sixth to close the gap to just two. Then, with two outs in the seventh, the Bulldogs loaded the bases and got to within a run when the third Triton pitcher of the frame, Torin Dooley, hit a batter. Dooley induced a fly out to the next hitter, though, to preserve the win and set up a winner-take-all game two.

Lee improved to 7-0 on the season, the freshman toeing the rubber for 5.2 innings. Dooley earned his first save of the 2014 campaign.

Budnick drove in three runs and went 2-for-4. Also collecting two hits was Matt Becker, Kyle Olson and TC Florentine.

Game two was not as close. Edmonds scored twice in the first and four times in the third to go up 6-0. Bellevue managed to push across two runs in the fourth but the Tritons got on an offensive roll, plating two more runs in the fifth and three more in the seventh and cruised to the 11-4 triumph.

Budnick kept up the pace, going 3-for-3 with a double, a homerun and five RBI. Florentine had three hits and scored four times.

Colin Samuelson started but did not get the win. DJ Oliver picked up the victory in relief, lasting 4.1 frames and allowing just one run on two hits. Dooley closed out the game by getting the last three outs in the ninth.

The 31 wins are the most for EdCC since the team’s last NWAACC title in 2008.

North Title Comes Down to Final Day

box one | box two

BELLEVUE -- Edmonds and Bellevue baseball, ranked No. 2 and 3 in the NWAACC respectively, split a North Region twinbill at Couter Field Saturday, hosts BC taking the opener 2-1 and EdCC winning the nightcap 4-1.

The split has the Tritons sitting at 17-5 in league play, one game behind the Bulldogs (18-4). The North regular season championship hangs in the balance with just one day left in the regular season. The series between the two powerhouse baseball programs moves to Triton Field for a double header on Sunday starting at 1 p.m. Edmonds needs a sweep to win the North, while Bellevue only needs one win.

What makes the regular season crown so important is that not only does that champion get to host the 4-team North Tournament, it also receives and automatic bid to the 8-team NWAACC Championship Tournament. The other three teams vie for the right to be the other team that comes out of the region and for seeding purposes.

Edmonds needed to win 3 of 4 this weekend and lost a golden opportunity in game one Saturday, squandering a two-hit, complete game from starter Zach Johnson. BC scored both of its runs on lead off walks that were followed by Triton errors. EdCC ended up with four miscues in the opener.

EdCC plated it's lone run in the top of the sixth on a RBI hit from Chris Osborne. But that was all the offense the Tritons could muster against Alex Hatch and Cody Culp. 

Hatch went 5.2 innings but was not involved in the decision. Culp, the BC closer, improved to 1-1 on the year. Johnson  (7-1) dropped his first decision of the season.

EdCC responded with a 4-1 win in the nightcap, led by a complete-game effort from Andrew Kemmerer who improved to 8-1 on the season. The sophomore put together a gritty performance in which he gave up nine hits and fanned four batters. 

The Tritons scored a run in the third when BC had issues handling the ball and then two more in the sixth to go up 3-0 when Osborne came through with a 2-RBI double.

The Bulldogs plated just one run, that coming in the bottom of the sixth. Edmonds added an insurance run in the ninth on a ground out from Matt Becker.

Sunday's DH at Triton Field will not only determine the North title, it is Sophomore Day and all Mothers get in free.

Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Softball Splits at Skagit Valley; Playoff Hopes Still Alive

Arista Honey blasted a 2-run homer Tuesday

MOUNT VERNON – Visiting Edmonds CC and hosts Skagit Valley College split a North Region twinbill at the Skagit Valley Playfields on Tuesday. The Cardinals won the opener 6-1 with EdCC taking the nightcap 7-5.

The Tritons now stand at 6-12 in league play (9-15) overall and are one win and three losses behind both Everett and Olympic in the standings (7-9). Both of those teams play each other four times this week. 

OC swept EvCC on Tuesday. Those decisions hurt Edmonds’ chances to finish in fourth place and earn a spot to the NWAACC Tournament. OC and EvCC play twice more on Thursday. Edmonds travels to Olympic to end the regular season on Saturday with a DH that starts at noon. The Tritons will more than likely need to sweep the Rangers in order to qualify for NWAACCs.

Edmonds didn’t do much offensively against Skagit Valley in game one on Tuesday, managing just one run, despite quite a few opportunities. Meanwhile, the Cardinals plated a run in the third and then put up five in the bottom of the fourth inning to take a 6-0 lead. Edmonds pushed across their lone run in the top of the fifth.

Shortstop Arista Honey blasted a two-run homer, her fourth of the year, in the Tritons’ first at-bat in game two. But, thanks in part to a porous EdCC defense, the Cardinals answered with five runs in the bottom of the inning to go up 5-2.

The Edmonds offense slowly chipped away at the deficit and Triton starter Sierra Card silenced the Cardinal bats for the next six frames.

After closing to within one run, Triton outfielder Faith Clark delivered a game-tying RBI single in the fifth and outfielder Laura Ramos came through by knocking in the go-ahead run in the sixth.

Edmonds entered the bottom of the seventh with a two-run lead but that seemed to be in jeopardy when the first three Cardinals reached base via hits. However, Card induced a pop up for the first out and a line drive was turned into a double play for outs two and three.

The win was the first on the road for Edmonds this season and the team’s first win away from Triton Field since May 12, 2006.

Clark, Honey, Madisyn Napier, Hollie Sharp and Ryanne Fazio each had two hits for EdCC. Card improved to 5-8.

SVC fell to 12-28, 3-15 North. 

Monday, May 5, 2014

Tritons Suffer Sweep at Douglas


SURREY, B.C., Canada –Edmonds CC dropped a North Region twinbill to Douglas College Saturday at Softball City, 6-5 and 18-1. With the two defeats EdCC falls to 5-11 in regional action, 8-14 overall while the first place Royals upped their season mark to 22-14, 15-1 league.

The Tritons are in fifth place and trail Olympic College by two games in the loss column. The top four squads from each region advance to the NWAACC Tournament. OC will play Everett four times this coming week before hosting Edmonds on Saturday for the final regular season games of the year. EdCC travels to Skagit Valley for two on Tuesday.

If the Tritons are to make the NWAACC tournament for the first time since 2006, they need to do win at SVC and OC and hope for Everett to win the majority of games against OC.

Game one Saturday was especially heartbreaking because the Tritons had a 5-2 lead going into the bottom of the sixth inning. Instead of stealing a win against one of the better teams in the North, the Tritons would lose when Douglas scored two runs in both the sixth and seventh innings.

Edmonds plated four runs in the top of the first, highlighted by a two-run double from Alex Deaver. The Tritons’ last run came in the sixth when Arista Honey blasted a solo homer.

Suffering the loss was Sierra Card who allowed four earned runs in 6.1 frames. Honey and Ryanne Fazio had two hits apiece in the loss.

The nightcap was all Douglas and its starter Morganne Blattman (7-1). 

The Royals scored two in the first and then put up 11 runs in the second. Edmonds only had one hit during game two and once EdCC was done batting in the fifth, the game was called due to the 8-run mercy rule.