Falcon ‘A’ Legion team falls as bats go silent

05 Jul 2011 06:25
Written by Don Mann

Photo by Don Mann.

There was no mystery.

Seattle Black southpaw Mitch Eatman was throwing nothing but fastballs and Woodinville’s "A" Legion team knew it.

But squaring them up was another thing.

The 16-and-under Falcon baseball team mustered only five singles over seven innings and dropped a 5-1 decision at WHS on Tuesday to fall to 7-13 on the season.

Woodinville’s lone run scored was unearned as Derek Svanevik walked with the bases loaded to score Charles Mehrmann in the first inning.

Seattle would not issue another free pass to the next 23 Woodinville batters, and the Falcons could only put runners in scoring position twice more in the game, to no avail.

Tied at 1-apiece entering the third inning, Woodinville pitcher Jacob Yee — in his first start of the season— found trouble after yielding back-to-back singles to lead off the frame. When the Falcon second baseman was late to cover first on the ensuing bunt, the bags were loaded with no outs and the next batter laced a line drive double to the left-center gap to clear the bases. One out later, an opposite field line drive landed just inside the right field line and Seattle put four on the board to make it 5-1, the score that would stand over the next four uneventful innings.

Woodinville’s next home game is July 6, before it heads to Oliver, B.C., to play in the three-day Osoyoos Tournament July 8-10.

Young Falcons sweep Burien boys for 19th win

29 Jun 2011 08:00
Written by Don Mann

Woodinville’s Peter Lemke steals third base against Burien. Photo by Don Mann.

Davis Baillie and Matt Wilham had three hits apiece, and Jake Johnston homered in a four-run first inning uprising as the Woodinville 14-and- under Sandy Koufax team beat RIPS Brewers of Burien 9-5 in the first game of a doubleheader at Big Finn Hill Park in Kirkland on Thursday.

Wilham pitched six innings for the win before Matt Quarre retired the final three outs.

Wilham led off the first inning with a double to left, stole third and scored on a balk.

Quarre walked, advanced on a wild pitch and scored on Baillie’s line drive single to left.

Johnson’s fly ball to center just cleared the fence for a two-run homer to make it 4-0.

Woodinville added another in the third as Baillie singled, stole second and scored on Johnston’s line drive single to left.

Matt Wilham pitched six innings for the win and went 3-for-4 at the plate. Photo by Don Mann.

Leading 7-1 after five innings and cruising, Wilham ran into trouble in the sixth after a leadoff error by Woodinville was followed by four Brewer hits that scored three runs to make it 7-4.

Woodinville bounced right back to score two more as Henry Coba’s sacrifice fly scored Tyler Johnson, who got aboard on an error, and Wilham’s triple scored Peter Lemke, who had singled.

Woodinville, which scored nine runs on 10 hits in the opener, also won the nightcap 11-5 to up its season record to 19-8-1 with seven games remaining before the Koufax state tournament begins July 8.

Thrasher fest in Woodinville

28 Jun 2011 08:00
Written by Don Mann

Brandon Bjelke, 14, of Mill Creek (right) actually landed this “kickflip” on a ramp during his three minute routine in the Age 11-15 competition. Photo by Don Mann.

Scores of the Northshore area’s finest skateboarders showed their mad skills at the 7th annual Woodinville Skate Contest at sun- splashed Rotary Community Park on Saturday.

Sixty skaters of all ages competed in five categories with the landscape dotted by enthusiastic fans, families and friends at the colorful event sponsored by the Northshore YMCA.

Skaters competed in three-person, three minute freestyle "jam sessions" under the watchful eyes of judges as hardcore music filled the air.

The winners:

• Age 10 and under: Jordan August; • Age 11-15: Jesse Lindloff; • Age 16 and up: Danny Davis; • Girls: Aly Richards; • Sponsored: Ken Takayama

Event coordinator Pam Miller wishes to thank the skating community for its continued support, including the local shops and industry members who provided products and gift bags to the top four finishers in each division: BFC, Lib Tech, S-One, Bandwagon, Khiro, Mission Ridge, SnoCon, 35th North, Cool Girl Decks, Spun Decks, Rockstar, Embassy, Zummiez, Vans, Silly, Quicksilver, Cool Girl, Spacecraft, BC Surf and Sport, Grizzly Sports, Goods, Evo, Tail Devil, Skate Like A Girl, and Skate and Snow.

Falcons turn back Wolverines

22 Jun 2011 08:00
Written by Don Mann

Photo by Don Mann Riley Merlino pitched effectively into the sixth inning to gain the win.

Matt Laitala went 3-for-3 with two doubles and a triple and scored three runs as the Woodinville AA American Legion team beat Bellevue 6-3 at WHS on Thursday. Laitala’s big day at the plate upped his team-leading batting average to a white-hot .588 after 13 games. The Falcons are 11-2.

Riley Merlino pitched into the sixth inning, allowing one earned run to gain the victory and Eric Anthony retired all five batters he faced for the save.

Woodinville got on the board first when Laitala dumped a floater into no-man’s land behind second base and hustled for a double when nobody covered the bag.

He moved up on a wild pitch and scored on a Jake Segesser grounder.

Bellevue manufactured a run on two singles, a double steal and a groundout to tie it 1-1.

Photo by Don Mann Matt Laitala, who went 3-for-3 at the plate, advances to third base on a wild pitch.

The Wolverines took a 3-1 lead in the fourth after two free passes and a two-out, opposite field triple into the left field corner by Jihad Mardini. But Woodinville stormed right back: Line drive single by Max Carter, line drive double by Tommy Wick, line drive to the fence by Laitala for a standup triple and one out later Matthew Spencer drilled a single through a drawn in infield to put the Falcons up 4-3. Bellevue went hitless over the final three innings and Woodinville added two more runs in the sixth on a Laitala double, Segesser single and Spencer’s sacrifice fly.

The Falcons will travel to Wenatchee this week to compete in the Apple Valley Jr. Legion Invitational beginning Thursday.

Woodinville lambastes Lakeside

15 Jun 2011 08:00
Written by Don Mann

Harrison Van Til, looking like a dead duck, got called safe on this play at the plate as the umpire determined he was not tagged. Photo by Don Mann.

It’s fundamental: You walk 10 batters, you stand a great chance to lose the baseball game. Period.

And that’s what happened to Lakeside in a AA American Legion game against Woodinville at WHS on Thursday.

Throw in eight Falcon hits, including bases-loaded doubles by Max Carter — a parachute job that dropped in short right field — in a five- run second inning uprising and another by Tommy Wick — this one a line drive — during a four-run sixth that also cleared the bases and you have the recipe for a 12-2 loss for the team comprised of members of Issaquah, Newport and Skyline high schools.

It was not pretty.

Woodinville has now won seven in a row to up its record to 8-1 in summer ball and stole six bases, none even close to being challenged.

Riley Merlino and Harrison Van Til combined for three innings on the mound apiece. Merlino notched the win, and Van Til went three scoreless in relief, retiring 12 of the 14 batters he faced without surrendering a hit.

He also went 2-for-2 at the plate. Third-baseman Matt Laitala went 2- for-3, with a single, double and sacrifice fly, and was outstanding defensively at the hot corner.

Max Carter is back safely on a pickoff throw. Photo by Don Mann.

Woodinville celebrated the walkoff win in the bottom of the sixth when Van Til lined a sharp single to left to score Wick with the gamer.

Euthanasia. Over and out.

The Falcons take on Bankers, a traditionally strong summer Legion club, at home on Tuesday at 5 p.m. and then confront the Bellevue AA Legion team on Thursday at WHS, also at 5.

Woodinville’s Cody Bauman, Myles Franklin and Griffen Jones play for Bankers.

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