Kennedy Catholic Baseball Season Ends After 0-2 Record in Districts

Lancers baseball, post-season wrap up.

by Jake KnightBurien-News Sports Writer.

The Kennedy Catholic Lancers baseball team played phenomenally during the regular season, winning 17 games over only four losses, landing in the top ten of multiple sites’ rankings for best teams in the state.But come playoff time, baseball does not care who played better in the regular season, who is supposed to win the game, or who has the best talent on the roster. The only thing that matters is the best team on the field on that day.After losing in the first round of the district playoffs to Olympia High School, Kennedy Catholic had to get passed Rogers High School, the 10 seed in the tournament, to keep their state hopes alive.Kennedy Catholic went on to lose the game by a final tally of 7-4, abruptly ending their season much earlier than expected.Four errors on the defensive side plagued the Lancers, resulting in three unearned runs which equals the number of runs they lost by.In a second straight game, the opposing pitcher shut down the Kennedy Catholic offensive attack. Coltyn Clark entered the seventh inning allowing just one run, and after Rogers scored three in the top of the seventh it was a 7-1 game with three outs to go.The Lancers made it interesting. Liam Rhoads and Will Cahill launched their first home runs of the season in back-to-back at bats to begin the final frame. A Cam Mattingly double later in the inning drove in a run and put runners on second and third with two outs. The tying run stepped to the plate down by three.But Kennedy Catholic was unable to push any more runs across. Rogers High School improved to 2-0 in districts and has a chance to go to state with a win over Kentridge High School. As for Kennedy Catholic, their promising season comes to a close.They end the season with a 17-6 record with multiple impressive individual performances across the season.Senior Coleman Hollabaugh performed well on both sides of the ball. He launched three home runs and slashed .319/.455/.550 for a 1.006 OPS. On the mound, Hollabaugh pitched to the tune of a 2.93 earned run average over 45.1 innings. He is committed to play baseball at the University of Portland.Sophomore Kaipo Matsushima hit .354 and got on base at a .511 clip while commanding a great pitching staff. The young catcher looked very experienced behind the dish, calling a great game and playing above average defense, all while more than holding his own at the plate. Matsushima is uncommitted but has a very promising two years ahead of him.Harvey Lieberman also turned in a notable sophomore season. The left-handed pitcher had a 2.56 earned run average in 43.2 innings pitched. Another young player to look out for in the next couple of years.Junior Will Cahill ended his season with a .960 OPS while playing good defense in left field. Cahill moved up and down the lineup as the year went on, providing good at-bats wherever he was plugged in. The home run in his last game could signify an explosive senior season incoming.Junior Cam Mattingly led the team with a .395 batting average and is another player who could help lead this team as a senior next year.Sophomore Liam Rhoads dazzled at shortstop while getting on base at a .528 clip from the ninth spot in the lineup, consistently turning the lineup over with good chances to drive in runs.I would like to list every performance because this team had studs up and down the lineup, but the moral of the story is although the ending was not what Kennedy Catholic had planned, this team looks destined to be just as good if not better next year. The loss of Hollabaugh will be felt, but many sophomores and juniors seem ready to step up to the challenge next year and bring the Lancers to state.