Bainbridge Majors open state tournament Saturday

Published 3:06 pm Friday, July 24, 2009

After a dominant run through the District 2 tournament, the Bainbridge Majors all-star baseball team plays Kent at 9:30 a.m. Saturday in Port Orchard.

The game will be a battle of power vs. power. Bainbridge coach Doug McCombs said both teams relied heavily on the long ball during district play.

Bainbridge outscored opponents 34-2 in the first four games of district action. The only hiccup came in the first matchup with last year’s champion, South Kitsap Western, Bainbridge losing 10-7. With redemption on their minds, the young islanders came back the next day and dropped 17 runs on South Kitsap to clinch the district title.

After the victory over South Kitsap, McCombs said having his best pitchers available makes all the difference for the team. Trent Schulte and Blake Swanson are the team’s two aces, and they will be needed to combat Kent’s power at the plate.

Kent, the District 10 champion, sports similar strengths to Bainbridge. In Kent’s four district tournament games, all of which were victories, the team belted 12 home runs.

Despite the team’s prowess at the plate, it took a comeback effort for Kent to take home the district championship.

At the start of the fifth inning, Kent was down 4-0, cut the deficit to two, and then was propelled by to the title by Kade Krysko’s grand-slam homer.

Bainbridge pitchers will be challenged by Kent’s triumvirate of sluggers.

Kryzsko hit .500 in the tournament with three home runs and 11 RBIs. Kramer Sims proved to be the team’s top power source, hitting .429 with eight RBIs and five home runs. Mike Ciancio also batted .500 for the tournament with a home run and three RBIs.

With a win, Bainbridge advances to face Richmond at noon Sunday. A defeat knocks Bainbridge into the losing bracket.