The 1A Southwest District 4 high school baseball playoffs are underway this week, with the Eatonville Cruisers as one of the top entries from the Evergreen League. Eatonville ended its league season last week with a two-game split with the Montesano Bulldogs to finish with a 10-4 record. The Cruisers ended in a tie for the top spot among the Evergreen's 1A schools with Hoquiam and took the league's second seed into the district tournament that started Monday with Eatonville playing Kalama. Depending on whether they won or lost, the Cruisers on Tuesday faced the winner or loser of another first-round game between Tenino and King's Way. The tournament is double-elimination. At its conclusion this Saturday, the top three teams will advance to the state tournament. In the Cruisers' first game last week against Rochester on May 3, they were in a 3-1 hole entering the bottom of the fifth inning but broke out with a seven run explosion to take the lead and eventually win 9-5. In the fifth, Joel Rodriguez led off with a walk and was followed by a double off the bat of A.J. Goetz to score Andrew Streich, who was pinch-running for Rodriguez. After Jay Brymer singled and Jared Henricksen was hit by a pitch to load the bases, Brooks Moeller hit a hard ground ball to shortstop to score Goetz, and when the shortstop dropped the ball in his attempt to throw to second base, Brymer took advantage and scored from second to give the Cruisers the lead 4-3. With the bases loaded again after Justin Brandt was hit by pitch, Jake McCormick chopped an infield single to score Henricksen. Rodriguez promptly doubled to score McCormick and when the smoke cleared, Eatonville had a commanding 8-3 lead. The Cruisers added an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth on a single by T.J. Goetz. Pitcher Colin Streich earned his sixth win of the year, allowing four hits, one earned run and striking out two in five innings of work. In the second game on May 5, the Bulldogs jumped to an early 8-0 lead. Eatonville made the game respectable with four runs in the fifth and a run in the seventh, but Rochester prevailed 8-5. Justin Brandt and A.J. Goetz led Eatonville with three hits and two RBIs, respectively.
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