Kangs Beat Bellevue, Face Si for KingCo Title

will play Friday night for the KingCo 3A/2A Conference baseball title after the Kangaroos beat Bellevue Thursday 6-3, largely on the strength of a three-run double by catcher Steve Semler.

For the second straight year, Lake Washington -- now 12-3 in league play and 16-5 overall -- will face Mount Si in the title game, at Bannerwood Park in Bellevue, 7 p.m. The two teams split their regular season games, the Kangs winning in Kirkland 4-1 and Si winning in North Bend 10-2.

But last year the Kangs fell to Si in the KingCo title game 1-0.

"We're feeling good right now, we're where we want to be," said LW Coach Derek Bingham. "Losing 1-0 last year kind of left a bitter taste in our mouths. We're ready and it should be a good game. We're looking forward to the challenge."

After an RBI single by Jordan LaFave in the second inning put LW up 1-0 Thursday, Semler stepped to the plate in the third with the bases loaded and two out, drilling a fly to left field and scoring three. It was all the margin the Kangs would need.

Semler finished with two hit in two at-bats and the tree runs batted in. LaFave finished the game with two RBIs. Jeremy Parkhurst went 1-for-3 at the plate and scored three runs.

Workhorse pitcher Zach Johnson put in a full seven innings inning on the mound -- giving him 52 inning pitched on the season -- earning the win by scattering six hits and striking out one.

Bellevue, having fallen to the Kangs 3-2 just last week in Kirkland, rallied for three runs in the top of the seventh on a sacrifice fly by Jack Carlson and a two-run single by Reid Hartman. But Johnson coaxed a ground-out to third base to end the game.

If Lake Washington wins Friday night, the team will head straight to the state playoffs on May 19. If the Kangs lose, they'll play Saturday for the right to reach the district playoffs next week.