Naselle senior Parker Kilponen (26) pitched the final two outs in relief in a 5-3 victory against Almira-Coulee-Hartline in 1B WIAA state playoffs Saturday, May 20 in Moses Lake. “Parker was outstanding coming into such a tight spot. He came in and filled up the strike zone as he’s done in relief all year,” said Naselle head coach Randy Lindstrom.

MOSES LAKE — Survive and advance.

The Naselle baseball team did just that in notching back-to-back wins in the opening round of the 1B WIAA State Tournament last weekend, where the No. 5-seed Comets defeated No. 12-seed Crosspoint 4-3 and then upset No.4-seed Almira/Coulee-Hartline 5-3 on Saturday, May 20 in Moses Lake.

The Comets (15-6) advance to the semifinal round of the state playoffs next weekend, where they will take on No. 1-seed DeSales (20-3), with the victor facing the winner of Mount Vernon Christian/Liberty Christian for the state championship.

Dean, defense deliver against Crosspoint

In the first game, against Crosspoint (9-6), the Comets turned to junior pitcher Dean Helvey, who delivered a sterling performance on the mound through six innings, limiting the Warriors to only six hits and three runs with seven strikeouts.

“Dean Helvey did an outstanding job mixing speeds and staying in the strike zone, only allowing two free baserunners all game while striking out seven batters,” said Naselle head coach Randy Lindstrom. Naselle senior Kolten Lindstrom pitched the final out in relief of Helvey.

Naselle was well-balanced offensively, with seven batters amassing eight hits, led by senior Clay Bergeson with two hits and one RBI.

“Clay, Dean and Kolten all had clutch hits with runners on to get us some breathing room early on. Our defense was solid; Jack Strange was outstanding at shortstop, making several tough plays look routine,” Lindstrom said.

Lindstrom arm, Bergeson bat

In the second game, Naselle (15-6) faced No. 4-seed Almira/Coulee-Hartline (16-2) in the quarterfinals, where they handed they ball to senior ace pitcher Kolten Lindstrom.

Lindstrom nearly went the distance, pitching all but the final two outs, allowing only three hits and two earned runs with eight strikeouts.

“He did a great job getting ahead of hitters and cruised through the game, except for in the third inning where he got into a little trouble; some walks, some errors got ACH within two runs, but he settled back in until he reached his pitch limit in the seventh,” said head coach Randy Lindstrom.

Naselle senior lefty Parker Kilponen pitched the final two outs in relief, after Lindstrom reached the maximum (105) pitch count limit.

“Parker was outstanding coming into such a tight spot. He came in and filled up the strike zone as he’s done in relief all year, getting a fly out to right field, where Scott Henington made a great jump on a ball and tracked it down for the second out. Parker then struck out the next batter to end it,” Lindstrom said.

Offensively the Comets only collected four hits, but two came from senior Clay Bergeson, who delivered a game-high three RBIs in the clutch.

Up next: The Comets (15-6) advance to the semifinal round next weekend, where they will take on No. 1-seed DeSales (20-3), with the victor facing the winner of Mount Vernon Christian/Liberty Christian for the state championship.