May 23,
2009
Kangs
Fall One Win Short of Safeco
Game 1: Box Score | Game 2: Box Score
Eric Folkers finished the day
5-for-7 with 2 doubles, 2 home runs and 6 RBI.
The
Kangs dream of a trip to the Final Four at Safeco Field was derailed on Saturday,
as they fell 9-5 to
In game 1, the
Kangs found themselves in a hole early, trailing 4-1
through the first two and a half innings.
Things changed in the bottom of the third however, with the spark being
senior shortstop Alex Potts’ three-run home run to tie the game at four. Two batters later, senior infielder Eric Folkers hit a two-run blast, giving LW a lead they would
never relinquish. Three more runs in the
fourth extended the lead to 9-4, with the key hit a two-run home run by senior
second baseman Blake Lively. Lake
Washington put the final nail in the coffin in the 5th, plating five
more runs with three coming on a Folkers three-run
home run to left-center field. Senior
and KingCo 4A Player of the Year Christian Kaiser improved to 7-0 on the
season, working the first 5 1/3 innings before handing the ball over to senior
Karl Myers, who finished things off.
Potts and Folkers each had career days - Potts
finished 4-for-5 with a double, home run, and 5 RBI while Folkers
was 2-for-3 with two homers and 5 RBI.
The stakes were
high in game 2, with the winner advancing to the 4A final four at Safeco
Field. LW got off to a hot start, taking
a 1-0 lead on sophomore Alex Donnelly’s RBI double in the second. The Kangs loaded the bases with two outs,
only to be denied more runs when Lively’s
drive into the left-center field gap was caught by the Viking center
fielder. Things unraveled for Lake
Washington in the top of the third, with Puyallup scoring seven runs to take a
commanding lead. LW kept fighting, but
just couldn’t get the big hit to get back in the game. Despite 12 hits and 5 free passes, the Kangs
were only able to plate 5 runs, leaving 14 runners on base in the game.
The 2009 Lake
Washington Kangs had a season to remember.
They finished the year at 19-6, the best win percentage of any LW team
since 1994. The Kangs won the Crown
Division during the regular season, and beat Newport 9-2 in the KingCo championship
game. By winning a first round state
game, they finished as one of the top eight teams in the entire state. Congratulations to the young men on a fine
season.
Check back often
for updates on All-League performers as well as a recap of the KingCo 4A feeder
game, which features six LWHS seniors.
The game will be coached by the Kang coaching staff and takes place on
Thursday, June 4th at 6:00 pm at Woodinville HS.