Tides clinch district berth

Schultz’s complete game, GH clutch hitting seals 2-1 win

Marques Hunter

of the Gateway

TACOMA — Through solid pitching and clutch hitting, the Gig Harbor Tides’ baseball team will be headed to the West Central District III playoffs.

The Tides’ clinching win came in dramatic fashion Saturday, when Gig Harbor senior Mike Barnett drove in the winning run in the bottom of the seventh inning to beat Bellarmine Prep 2-1.

Barnett’s single scored Nico Youngren during the Narrows League tournament at Heidelberg Park in Tacoma.

Gig Harbor lost to Bellarmine last year in a winner-to-district, loser-out scenario, but this year it was the Tides’ turn to come out on top.

Saturday’s win put the Tides in position for the No. 3 seed to district. They beat Central Kitsap 4-3 in nine innings on Monday night.

And for the second game in a row, Barnett delivered the game-winning RBI, driving in Jordan Pearson to give the Tides a shot at earning a No. 1 seed to the state tournament.

But the Tides knew winning the first game in the league tournament would guarantee a district seed and extend their season for at least one more game.

“It’s the best feeling ever,” Barnett said following Saturday’s victory over Bellarmine. “We all played hard. We came to play our game.”

With a full count and two outs in the seventh, Barnett said he was trying to hit it to the opposite field to score Youngren from second.

It was Gig Harbor’s first win of the season when they’ve been tied or behind going into the final inning.

Tides junior pitcher Scott Schultz (4-4) threw a complete game with six strikeouts and just two walks in 95 pitches to extend his winning streak to three.

“We’re a brand new team now,” Schultz said. “We’ve really come together, and we’re playing well right now.”

Schultz, who held Bellarmine hitless through four innings, said he was happy to know he was starting against the Lions, because he knew he could get the job done.

Bellarmine tied the game 1-1 in the top of the sixth when senior Gavin Hite — the team’s starting pitcher — hit a soft roller to Schultz with the bases loaded. With no other option, Schultz went to first base to get an out.

And with runners on first and second with one out in the top of the seventh, the Lions threatened to score in again. But Gig Harbor sophomore shortstop Colin Walters — who recently was assigned to the position a couple weeks ago — scooped up a ground ball, touched second base and nailed the runner at first for an unassisted double play.

“Two really good teams played today,” Tides coach Pete Jansen said. “I knew if we could get the ball through the infield, we could get the win.”

West Central District III scenario for the GH Tides

Gig Harbor senior Mike Barnett had the game-winning RBI — for the second game in a row — to help the Gig Harbor baseball beat Central Kitsap 4-3 on Monday in nine innings.

The Tides will play the No. 1 seed from the Class 4A South Puget Sound League at 11 a.m. Saturday at Kent Memorial Park for the No. 1 seed to the state tournament.

If Gig Harbor loses, it will play the winner of the SPSL No. 6-Narrows No. 4 matchup for the fourth seed to the state tourney. That game will take place at 5 p.m. Saturday at Kent Memorial.