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.