U16 Lakers earn No. 1 seed for Washington State Legion A Tournament
(Courtesy photo) Pictured front row, from left to right: Ethan Butler, Avery Bocksch, Trevor Meyer, Conrad Becker, Blake Sherrill, Conagher McCown, Ethan Edlund and Mike Riley. Back row: Coach Rob Sherrill, Max Thielbahr, Darren Bailey, Anthony Arroyo, Cameron Garcia, Connor Bird, Trevor Brackett and manager Josh Edlund.
SANDPOINT — A strong pitching performance by Avery Bocksch and timely hitting by Trevor Brackett and Anthony Arroyo led the U16 Peak Sand and Gravel Lakers to a 6-1 win over Northern Lakes recently, earning them the No. 1 seed from the Eastern part of the state at the upcoming Washington State Juniors American Legion Tournament in Seattle.
Bocksch earned the win by allowing just six hits over seven strong innings, striking out four in the complete game gem. Brackett had a double among his two hits, and Arroyo added two hits to pace the offense in the championship.
Prior to that game, the Lakers pounded out a whopping 15 hits in a 16-1 thrashing of Shadle Park, with Brackett picking up a single in each of the first four innings.
The Lakers plated eight runs in the third inning, with Mike Riley, Ethan Butler, Cameron Garcia, Max Thielbahr, Arroyo and Bocksch each picking up an RBI in the productive frame.
The run support was nice, but unnecessary, as Darren Bailey was dealing on the mound. He allowed four hits in five innings and struck out nine, showing top notch command by not walking a batter.
Brackett, Trevor Meyer, Thielbahr, Butler and Bailey all had multiple hits for Lakers, while Thielbahr led the team with three steals. Defensively, the Lakers didn’t commit a single error in the field.
The first game of the tournament was a wild one, as the Lakers built an eight-run lead in the fourth inning, only to watch Gonzaga close the gap before holding on for an 11-9 victory.
The Lakers erupted for 11 runs in the fourth inning, as Ethan Edlund tallied two hits and four RBIs in the same inning in a rare feat. Riley, Thielbahr, Brackett and Bocksch also drove in runs with hits in the frame.
Conrad Becker got the start on the bump, allowing five hits and three runs over 2 and 2/3 innings, while striking out two. Thielbahr and Edlund both collected three hits to lead the offense.
The Lakers open the double elimination state tourney on Saturday, July 28 against Southridge at Raineer Beach High School in Seattle.