Hot bats help Steel Lake / Soundview team

Steel Lake/Soundview and Chinook/Kent took turns pounding the daylights out of each other in last Wednesday's District 10 Senior Little League championship double-header, but it will be Chinook/Kent only that advances into the state tournament that opens Saturday, July 17 at Hartmann Park in Redmond.

The Steel Lake/Soundview team that draws from east of Federal Way and Northeast Tacoma, respectively, scored a 15-1 over the Chinook/Kent team of Enumclaw and Kent in the opener.

But the second game went to Chinook/Kent by an 8-1 score, giving the District 10 title and the trips to state that go with it to that team.

Chinook/Kent came into championship games undefeated and needed to be defeated twice to be bumped off. One loss in either game was enough to knock out the Steel Lake/Soundview team that came in with one loss.

The Steel Lake/Soundview's dominance of the first game started early. The scored 13 runs in the second inning on the way to the 15-1 final margin. Steel Lake/Soundview benefitted from four doubles and six weeks in the big inning. Bryce Donyea blasted two of the doubles.

Chinook/Kent scored its only run in the top of the first with the help of hits by Garrett Robinson, DJ Vallala and Dalton Cryderman.

But it was the second game that was for all of the marbles and it was Chinook/Kent that scored five runs in the first and two in the second for a 7-0 lead.

David Price singled, stole second, went to third on an errant catcher's throw and held on a single up the middle by Robinson. He scored on a double by Matt Nutting.

Vallala singled in Robinson and Nutting. Cryderman drew a walk to keep the rally alive, though, before Jared Mackie doubled and Sam Burtis tripled for two more runs.

Robinson, Nutting, Vallala and Cryderman all singled in order in the second for one run, but had Nutting thrown out at the plate by Steel Lake/Soundview center fielder Ryan Borden.

Steel Lake/Soundview scored its one and only run in the bottom of the third. Adam Lensegrav tripled to deep center field for a triple and scored on a ground out.

Steel Lake/Soundview turned an impressive third to short to first double play in the third inning of what was a slick fielding day overall for the team. Chinook/Kent manager Kevin Vallala called for that kind of defense from his team and got it the rest of the way for the win.

"Let's play defense, guys," said the Federal Way High School graduate.

Chinook/Kent pitching and defense included stopping Steel Lake/Soundview on three-straight grounders in the bottom of the fourth.

Runners reached on a walk and an error but came up empty in the fifth. The side went down in order in the sixth and seventh with the help of three strikeouts.

The Chinook/Kent hitters, meanwhile, picked up two insurance runs in the action at Brannan Park in Auburn -- one in the fifth and one in the sixth.

Mackie singled, stole second and scored on a deep double to right center by Burtis. DJ Vallala was hit by a pitch and scored on a Cryderman double in the sixth.