OLYMPIA — Rising to the occasion is a myth in the Olympia Bears ballclub.
Instead, they aim to sink to the level of their training. The idea is this: there’s nowhere to rise if they’re already on top.
That’s why when the Olympia Bears were thrown a plethora of high-pressure situations against South Puget Sound League rival Puyallup Friday afternoon, they were essentially oblivious to the pressure.
Olympia’s stout defense made highlight-reel play after highlight-reel play, and the 1-2 punch of Travis Kunkel and Peyton Crass on the bump overwhelmed the Vikings bats in a 1-0 shutout victory.
The coaching staff, led by head coach Derek Weldon, told the team to treat the game like any other — play their brand of baseball no matter the opponent. But it was clear from the first pitch that this game mattered more than most. The energy in the dugout was deafening, the communication among defenders was constant, and the celebrations were elevated. It especially mattered to the Bears players who watched their district title hopes come to an end at the hands of the Vikings last spring.
“We’re playing for a league title. Every one of these games is incredibly important, and obviously, we have a lot of history with them over the last five or six years,” Weldon said. “It’s a game our guys get fired up for. But the opponent never matters. It’s always about us doing what we need to do to win. If we do what we need to do, we’ll like the outcome.”
Kunkel was fired up on the mound to start the game. His fastball was unassailable, as he struck out his first opponent on three pitches, two of which were swinging strikes.
The first high-pressure moment of the day came in the second inning. Kunkel struck out the first batter and allowed a single to the next. With two outs, a ground ball that would’ve ended the inning turned into a free baserunner due to an error, and Kunkel walked the ensuing batter to load the bases. He escaped unscathed, earning a line out to end the inning.
Hits were difficult to come by for either team throughout the afternoon, but Olympia delivered two of its three total hits in the second inning, starting with a single on a 3-0 count by Elijah Butler. Connor Hardy advanced Butler into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt, and Brayden Cheeka, who entered the game coming off a 4 for 4 outing against Bethel Thursday, stayed hot. He lined a single to right field, scoring Butler from second base.
Weldon credited the bunt from Hardy to create a chance for Cheeka to bring in a run. But he doesn’t want their reputation for bunting to be called “small ball.” He prefers “pressure baseball.”
“We have a reputation for bunting a lot and the short game. We’re not trying to surrender outs with those, but we actually did there just to give Brayden a chance,” Weldon said. “He’s been so hot that we wanted to give him a chance to drive in a run, and he did that.”
Kunkel kept cruising into the third inning, striking out the final two Vikings and leaving a runner stranded at second base. Olympia’s Noah Miller walked but couldn’t score after reaching third base in the bottom of the third.
Another taxing situation emerged in the top of the fifth for Olympia as Kunkel plunked the leadoff batter, putting the tying run on the base paths. Hardy made a clutch play behind the plate, gunning down the runner for the first out of the inning. With two outs, Puyallup’s Keagan Soliza singled and advanced to second base on an infield error, but Kunkel put another zero on the scoreboard as Brayden Landry flew out to end the inning.
The Bears had chances to extend their lead in both the fifth and sixth innings, putting two runners on in both frames. But neither opportunity resulted in runs.
In the last two frames, Olympia’s outfielders made a pair of game-saving stops. Right fielder Landyn Keister dove to catch a line drive for the first out in the sixth. As if that wasn’t thrilling enough, Miller topped him in the seventh inning. With a runner on and one out in a one-run game, Tyler Ducharme hit a line drive that appeared bound to drop between Miller and Braden Barrett in shallow center field. But as Barrett backpedaled toward the ball, Miller made a full-extension diving catch, simultaneously holding the runner at first base. Fittingly, the game concluded on another line out to Miller, but this time, he didn’t have to put as much labor into the catch.
“I saw the ball go in the air and started running in. I trusted my teammate Braden, and I laid my body on the line,” Miller said of the epic catch. “It was 50/50. But we communicated. We both trust each other. I said, ‘Mine,’ and he got out of my way.”
Kunkel finished with six strikeouts over five shutout innings, allowing just three hits and two walks. Crass relieved Kunkel in the sixth inning and retired six of seven batters he faced, holding onto the momentum created by Kunkel.
“My slider was working really well. I was able to dot a lot of fastballs,” Kunkel said. “It was the biggest game of the year. If you look at the score, it’s 1-0. It was a fight. I’m really proud of our guys. They played their butts off.”
Olympia (14-2, 10-2 South Puget Sound League) shares a three-way tie for first place in the SPSL with Sumner and Emerald Ridge. Next up is a crucial two-game series with Graham-Kapowsin (8-5, 8-3 South Puget Sound League) next week.
