Brody Bouwman hit a three-run triple in the top of the fifth inning trailing 3-1, giving Lynden Christian baseball the lead for good in a 5-3 elimination win over Blaine on Saturday at Sehome High School.
LC, which had struggled to drive in runs to that point, rode a four-run fifth inning, spurred by Bouwman, ending the Borderites’ season in the first round of the 1A District 1/2 consolation bracket.
The win was also a measure of revenge for the underdog Lyncs.
“We got 10-runned by them last year after losing to South Whidbey,” Bouwman said. “We kind of wanted to beat them here … prove everyone wrong.”
Blaine (13-8) entered districts with state aspirations, having won seven of its previous eight games. A 6-4 loss to King’s in the first game of the Saturday afternoon doubleheader dropped the Borderites into consolation, matching them up with LC (9-12).
LC preserved its slim two-run lead for the final two innings, ending Blaine’s season earlier than it had anticipated. The Lyncs fell to Overlake, 3-2, in its Saturday morning game.
“Those are good teams that we’ve played — we can battle with them,” Bouwman said. “We’ve got good pitchers. [Isaac] Paxton threw an amazing game right there.”
Paxton pitched all seven innings for LC, allowing five hits, two earned runs and walking three while striking out one batter.
Bouwman finished the game 2-for-4 batting with three RBIs. Lyncs senior third baseman Lane Dykstra went 3-for-4 with two stolen bases.
Blaine did most of its damage early, taking a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning on a two-run double by junior outfielder Hunter Vezzetti.
LC trimmed Blaine’s advantage to one in the top of the second. A fielding error by Blaine on a ground ball allowed junior shortstop Jonah Terpstra to reach first base and senior pitcher Isaac Paxton to score the Lyncs’ first run of the game.
Borderites junior first baseman Alejandro Moser-Hernandez made Blaine’s lead two once again in the bottom of the third on a line drive single to right field, scoring sophomore Evan Yates.
Paxton and the LC outfield shut Blaine down in the final four innings.
Blaine changed pitchers after Bouwman’s game-deciding triple, rotating senior Axel Puls out and inserting junior Diego Gutierrez.
Puls pitched the first 4.2 innings, allowing seven hits, four earned runs and two walks while striking out one. Gutierrez pitched 2.1 innings, allowing no hits or earned runs and striking out two batters.
Yates led the Borderites, finishing 1-for-3 at the plate with two runs scored. Vezzetti went 1-for-2 with two RBIs.
LC will now face the semifinals loser of Meridian (13-8) and Cedar Park Christian (17-4) in a consolation semifinal game at 1 p.m. Saturday, May 13 at Joe Martin Stadium. That will be a loser-out game, and the winner will have a chance to advance to state later that day.
