Clutch pitching and defense help Iowa stay alive at Series and defeat Washington

A closer look at Davenport, Iowa’s 6-3 win over Bonney Lake, Washington, Saturday at Lamade Stadium.

PLAY OF THE GAME--Colin Townsend putting out the fire: Iowa took a 6-1 lead into the bottom of the fifth inning, but Washington scored twice, pulling within in three. It then loaded the bases and had the go-ahead run at the plate. Unfazed, Townsend delivered some of his best pitches and struck out the batter to leave the bases loaded and help Iowa move on in the tournament. Mason McFate earned the win with three strong innings and Townsend came up big in relief with each pitcher striking out four.

IOWA PLAYER OF THE GAME--Owen Everhart: Some alert Everhart base running helped Iowa keep its first-inning rally going and he delivered with his bat the next two times. Everhart helped fuel the Iowa offense, belting two doubles and scoring a run.

WASHINGTON PLAYER OF THE GAME--Braylon Rudolph: The third baseman capped his fabulous summer with another strong performance. Rudolph helped ignite Washington’s comeback in the fifth inning with an RBI single and finished 2 for 3. Rudolph also scored two runs and also played strong defense.

BIG INNING--Iowa first: The Midwest champions immediately took the fight to Washington and scored three runs in the top of the first. Ted Swanson set the tone with a one-out double and Greyson Ballinger followed with an RBI single. Jameson Andressen beat out an infield single to keep the rally going and Iowa took advantage of two errors to build a 3-0 lead it never relinquished.

BEST EFFORT:

FLASHING LEATHER: Washington left fielder Ezra Seitz made one of the Series best catches in the second inning and robbed Ted Swanson of a sure RBI double. Seitz ran back toward the wall, reached out his left arm as far as it could go and made the super catch. Instead of Swanson hitting an RBI double to make it, 4-0, Seitz ended the inning. Iowa left fielder Greyson Ballinger showed those same kind of skills and made an impressive, running catch in the fifth inning. Ballinger read a hard-hit Seitz liner well, charged in and made a running catch, preventing Fisher Seibert from scoring after he had hit a leadoff double. Without that play, Washington’s fifth-inning rally could have done even more damage. Ballinger did something similar in the fourth inning when he helped Townsend work out of a bases-loaded, no-out jam. Ballinger made a catch and a laser-like throw to Jeremiah Grise at second base as Iowa stayed ahead, 3-1. Iowa third baseman Blake Bishop made a huge play to open the sixth inning. Jace Abe hit a hard grounder down the line, but Bishop cleanly fielded it and made a rocket-like throw to first base and deny Abe a leadoff single.

WHAT THE ADULTS SAY: "What I told them in the dugout afterward is I know this hurts but give it some time and they’re going to realize what they started back home," Washington manager Jess Workman said. "We’re the first team in our league and our district to make it here. They’ll realize when we get back what they started."

WHAT THE KIDS SAY: "I just knew I had to throw strikes and hit spots and my team would be behind me and make plays for me," McFate said after earning the win. "When we got to there I knew if I just threw strikes my team would make plays for me and we would do good."

WHAT IT MEANS: Iowa has a quick turnaround and plays again Sunday morning when it plays Utah in another elimination game. Washington’s season comes to an end but what a run it was for the Bonney Lake/Sumner All-Stars who became the first team in league history to win state and regional championships.