Sophomore relief pitcher Dean Helvey earned considerable applause from coaches and teammates for his role in Naselle’s victory.

MOSES LAKE — The Naselle Comet baseball team continued their quest toward capturing a state championship by dismantling their first two foes in the regional round of the state playoffs over the weekend.

The No. 3 seed Naselle Comets (13-2) will next play for the WIAA 1B State Championship against No. 4 seed Crosspoint, at 4 p.m. on Saturday, May 28 at the Ridgefield Complex, in Ridgefield. Crosspoint, a private school from Bremerton, advanced to the title game following victories over Liberty Christian (4-0) and DeSales (10-7).

Big inning, stellar pitching propels Comets over WildcatsIn the first game, against the No. 6 seed Wilbur-Creston-Keller Wildcats, No. 3 seed Naselle exploded for nine runs in the fourth inning, turning a 4-0 lead in a 13-0 five-inning mercy-rule rout. The Comets were led by junior starting pitcher Kolten Lindstrom, who pitched five hitless innings while striking out eight batters.

“Kolten pitched an excellent game. He commanded his fastball on both sides of the plate and mixed in his curveball to keep the hitters off-balance all day,” said Naselle head coach Randy Lindstrom, who also credited freshman catcher Jacob Lindstrom for calling a great game behind the plate.

In the second game against the No. 2 seed Amira-Coulee-Hartline, Naselle raced ahead to an eight-run lead and then held on for a 15-10 victory. The Comets pounded the Warrior pitchers for 17 hits, including multiple RBIs by J. Strange, Kolten Lindstrom, Craig Bergeson and Jason Harman. Naselle sophomore Dean Helvey struck out out seven ACH batters while allowing just three hits in nearly four innings of relief for starting pitcher Jack Strange.

“I can’t say enough about Dean, great strike thrower and a ‘Mean Dean’ curveball to go with his fastball was his bread and butter all day. To be able to come into a tight spot like that in the state semifinal game and show such poise is unheard of for a young pitcher. Bright future for that boy on the mound,” Lindstrom summed.

The Naselle coach was equally impressed with the poise the team showed over the weekend in Moses Lake amid strong competition.

“The boys showed such toughness and great execution, there is not a ‘Me Me’ player in the bunch, they are all about the team win. The State/Regional weekend is a grind and a long day of baseball back to back and they showed great stamina and energy all day! Such a fun group of kids to coach and be around, we are very fortunate coaches! The future is bright for the Comets,” he said.