Chemistry keeps Lindbergh moving in district tournament | Baseball

Published 2:25 pm Thursday, May 12, 2011

Strong chemistry, speed and pitching got Lindbergh to within a game of the Seamount title, and now to the district tournament.

“It’s been a pleasant season,” said Lindbergh coach Benny Benavides. “Just because these kids are having fun… I’ve enjoyed this year more than years past.”

The Eagles (14-5) held the Seamount lead until falling twice to Kennedy Catholic (12-5) in a doubleheader May 4. Lindbergh finished tied with the Lancers for second in the league.

Sequim beat Lindbergh 7-2 in the first round of the sub-district tournament May 6, but the Eagles bounced back to take out Sumner 4-3 before moving on to districts. There Lindbergh beat Olympic 4-3 Tuesday.

Matt Stuart pitched 6.2 innings and allowed five hits against Olympic to earn the win. Ryan White went 2-3 with two runs and two steals. Cameron Callen went 1-2 with two RBI. Bakari Davis also had two RBI.

Lindbergh can hopefully now get on a regular schedule after jamming make-up games into the final week before playoffs because of so many rain-outs this season.

“The key is staying focused and getting all the fundamentals down when you have to play inside,” Stuart said. “Those extra couple of days in the batting cages might actually help us.”

Stuart and White formed a strong pitching duo this year. Both have four wins, and White has a 2.19 ERA through 22.1 innings. Stuart has a 4.45 ERA and led the team with 39.1 innings.

Lindbergh has also been tough to stop on the basepaths, stealing 42 bases on 51 attempts this year. Callen, a sophomore, led the way with 17 steals in 18 attempts. He also batted .569 with 31 runs, 25 RBI and four home runs, all of which either led the team or tied him for the team lead.

“He really fires these guys up,” Benavides said of Callen. “It’s good to see that.”

Senior Nikko Kis-Young batted .540 on the year with 26 runs scored. He knocked in 25 runs and hit three home runs. For him, this season has been an excellent way to end his time at Lindbergh.

“It’s a lot better than past years,” he said. “We have never had this much fun all together as one. Now we have this whole team bond going on.”

Lindbergh plays Saturday at the fairgrounds in Silverdale in the next round of the district tournament.