SK Babe Ruth 15s advance to state quarterfinals

While one SK Babe Ruth pitcher was on the shelf most of the season the other chose not to pitch during the season after throwing too much for his junior high team.

But Matt Hudson and Austin Brown put the past behind them as the duo combined for a three-hitter in an 11-1 opening round win against Olympic (Port Angeles) at the Babe Ruth 15-year-old Washington state tournament at Poulsbo’s Snider Park.

Hudson held Olympic hitless through three innings, and Brown scattered three hits in three innings before the game was called because of the 10-run rule.

SK coach Steve Bates said the arrival of Hudson and Brown on the mound couldn’t have come at a better time.

“Matt has had arm problems,” Bates said. “ He pitched one game in the beginning of the season and was basically shelved for two months after that. Austin really didn’t want to throw at the beginning of the season so I didn’t throw him at all. Last week I had him throw against Olympic and he threw well.”

Bates said Hudson, who has been on a strict pitch count of 50, would be available for a possible semifinal game Sunday if it gets past Bainbridge Island in a quarterfinal contest today at 8 a.m.

Jacob Yount will take the hill this morning in a rubber match against the Islanders.

Bainbridge Island handed SK a district opening round defeat before SK defeated it later in the tournament.

If SK’s bats stay as hot as they were against Olympic Bates said he can see SK handing Bainbridge Island the same fate.

SK’s offense made a statement in the bottom of the first inning, stringing four consecutive hits for two runs.

In the second inning, SK loaded the bases on three consecutive walks from Olympic pitcher Curtis Stimbert.

SK’s Kyle Bates took advantage of Stimbert’s free passes with a hard line drive that could have been caught by Casey Crumb. But the ball had enough top spin to fool the shortstop.

The ball rolled past Greg Dickman—out of position in left field—all the way to fence, giving allowing Bates to stroll in to second base with a three-run double.

Hudson knocked in a run in the third inning, and two more runs crossed the plate on back-to-back walks from Stimbert.

SK concluded its scoring in the sixth inning.

Tyler Penn, who had three hits on the day, and Yount hit consecutive singles and scored on a Bill Buckner-like error committed by Adam Macomber.

Chris Minga ended the game with a single that scored Derek Webb from first base due to a two-base fielding error from Dickman in center field.

Even though Olympic tallied five errors, Bates said his squad was scorching Olympic’s pitching.

“We haven’t hit like that all year,” Bates said. “We just needed it so bad and this was the perfect time to do this. We needed this to get us going in the state tournament. We came out with four straight hits and I think (Olympic) were just on their heels from the beginning. They didn’t know what hit them.”

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