Cruiser baseball dominates grueling 3-game week

In what was arguably their toughest stretch of the season, the Eatonville High School baseball team proved they’re hitting their stride at just the right time. The Cruisers played three games in three days this past week and came away with a clean sweep, outscoring their opponents 41-2 in a dominant stretch that showcased their pitching depth, aggressive base running, and an explosive lineup.

The week began April 28 with a statement win at home over Foss. Eatonville wasted no time taking control and never looked back, routing the Falcons 16-1. The Cruisers capitalized early on a Foss error before Michael Stogsdill ripped a single down the left field line to bring in another run. The floodgates opened in the second inning when Eatonville plated eight runs on five hits. Owen Archer delivered a two-run triple, followed by RBI contributions from Ben Smith, Brody Thirtyacre, Michael Stogsdill, Aaron Tozier and Aaron Leiter.

By the end of the third inning, Eatonville had built a 16-run lead, fueled by patience at the plate and timely hits. Ethan Evans, Stogsdill, Tozier, and Santiago Ruvalcaba all reached base to extend the lead. Archer capped off the third with a sacrifice fly.

On the mound, Leiter picked up the win, throwing 4.2 innings of two-hit ball while striking out nine. Stogsdill came in for relief, locking things down as Eatonville cruised to victory. The Cruisers tallied 11 hits in total, led by Stogsdill, Smith, and Ruvalcaba, who each had two. Eatonville also wreaked havoc on the base paths, swiping 10 bags — Smith and Colton Herbrand each stealing multiple bases.

With no rest, Eatonville returned to the diamond Tuesday to host Washington in the first of a two-game series—and again showed no signs of fatigue. Powered by Thirtyacre’s monster day at the plate, the Cruisers blanked the Patriots 12-0.

Thirtyacre was locked in from the start. He doubled in two runs in the first, singled in two more in the fourth, and added another RBI double in the fifth to finish with five RBIs on three hits. Stogsdill, Berg, and Smith also chipped in offensively as Eatonville jumped to a 6-0 lead by the second inning.

Thirtyacre wasn’t just a problem for Washington with the bat—he was just as lethal on the mound. The right-hander gave up only one hit in 4 2/3 innings, striking out eight. Despite issuing nine walks, he kept the Patriots off the scoreboard. Stogsdill again came in as a reliable arm out of the bullpen.

The defense was sharp behind him, committing no errors. Ruvalcaba anchored the infield with a game-high 11 chances, and the team added five stolen bases to keep pressure on all night.

Eatonville closed out their taxing three-game stretch on Wednesday with a trip to Washington for the second leg of the series. The outcome was more of the same. Behind a strong pitching performance from Ben Smith and timely hitting by Colton Herbrand, the Cruisers rolled to a 13-1 win and a sweep of the Patriots.

Herbrand paced the offense with a 2-for-4 day, driving in four runs and scoring twice. Smith, meanwhile, was electric on the mound, allowing just four hits across five innings while fanning nine and walking two. The Cruisers played fairly clean baseball, limiting mistakes and applying pressure in every phase of the game.

After three straight wins, Eatonville is gaining momentum at the perfect time. They now turn their focus to a pivotal two-game series against league-leading Orting. The rivalry matchups will be critical in the Cruiser push for post season play, with the Cruisers hosting Senior Night on Wednesday, May 7, following the opener in Orting on Tuesday.