Knights state-bound, will meet Bothell in 4A KingCo title game after 10-1 win over Skyline

Newport used six innings of one-run baseball from starting pitcher Cole Wiper and a seven-run outburst in a marathon fourth inning to beat Skyline by a final score of 10-1 on Monday at Woodinville High School in the 4A KingCo baseball tournament semi-finals.

Wiper, though admittedly without his best stuff, battled throughout against a Skyline lineup that managed only three hits to supplement the five free passes the Newport starter handed out on the night.

“He went out and competed tonight,” Newport coach Hal DeBerry said of his starter. “He’s not going to have his A-game every time out.” DeBerry went on to praise Wiper for showing such mettle by holding down an explosive Skyline lineup without all his pitches exactly on point.

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Taking advantage of gifted opportunities was the overriding theme of the game, as Newport capitalized while Skyline faltered on repeated attempts to get to Wiper.

In the bottom of the third, Skyline junior Matt Lunde walked the first two batters of the inning before hitting Jared Fisher with a pitch to load the bases. Wiper put Newport out in front 2-1 with a sac fly in the next at-bat.

The Spartans had an opportunity to mount a threat in the top of the next frame, but spoiled their own leadoff walk with two failed bunt attempts and left the inning empty-handed.

“That was a big turning point, we’ve got to make sure we come through in that situation and play fundamental baseball,” Skyline coach Chris Tamminen said. “We didn’t do that in either half of that inning.”

Indeed, in the bottom half of the fourth Newport took advantage, running away with seven runs keyed by their offensive execution and some dicey play in the field from Skyline.

After Lee Stoops drew a leadoff walk off Lunde, Curtis Kojima attempted to lay down a sacrifice bunt to move the insurance run into scoring position. But the Spartans tried to cut down Stoops at second instead of taking the out and the throw pulled the shortstop off the bag, leaving both runners safe. DeBerry kept the bunt on for Mason Paul, but again the Spartans did him one better when Lunde fumbled with the ball in front of the mound and was unable to even get off a throw, leaving the bases loaded still with no one retired.

“When the leadoff guy gets on, the responsibility is handed down to the next guy,” DeBerry said.

Billy Sahlinger and Nate Anderson took up that responsibility, sparking the inning with RBI base hits that gave Newport control. Daniel Altchech and then Stoops, in his second plate appearance of the inning, also knocked in runs in a fourth that saw Newport send 11 men to the plate.

“That was huge, that was kind of the point where we took control of the game,” Wiper said. “My teammates did a great job of getting it done.”

Stoops finished the game 2-2 with three RBI and a run scored while Mason Paul had a 2-3 day and also scored a run in the win.

The win moves the Knights into Thursday’s championship game, where they will meet Bothell, which defeated Inglemoor 2-1 in the other semi-final. It also guarentees Newport will make a trip to the 4A state tournament, which begins on May 21 at regional sites throughout the state.

Skyline will face Redmond on Tuesday at 4 p.m. in a loser-out game at Woodinville High School.