The Hawks baseball season ended last Tuesday, May 7 when they fell to the fourth-seeded Stanwood Spartans 9-7.

It was a season filled with success – including an 8-game winning streak – as the team earned a record of 12-10 during the regular season, and then lost their first two district playoff games to get knocked out of the postseason.

Junior Daniel Theis got the nod to start the playoff game against Stanwood. He did well through four innings, only allowing one run on three hits, even stranding the bases loaded in the second inning.

However, Theis gave up a ground ball in the 5th inning that freshman shortstop Drew Serres couldn’t handle and then gave up a double and a two RBI single.

Theis was then taken out of the game, with three earned runs credited to him. His replacement, senior Connor Clausen, gave up a fielder’s choice that scored another run. He gave up a walk, an RBI single, another fielder’s choice and another error on the same play led to another run.

Overall, Clausen left the inning having given up 3 runs of his own. By the end of the 5th, the score had flipped in the Spartans favor at 6-5.

On the Hawks offensive side, they got off to a quick start thanks to an RBI single by junior Chase Perez that drove in sophomore Jason Shevenko. A throwing error made by the Spartans catcher that sailed over the third baseman’s head, allowed junior Dominic DeMiero to score, who had walked earlier in the inning.

The next scoring outbreak from the Hawks occurred in the 5th inning, in response to the Spartans 5-run inning.

Junior catcher Wyatt Allemann contributed the most, hitting a 2 RBI triple driving in junior Elliot Nebel (courtesy runner for Theis) and senior Lucas Pope who had singled and walked earlier in the inning.

Sophomore Ben Reijonen, Allemann’s courtesy runner,  scored thanks to a sacrifice fly from Perez.

The Hawks didn’t score again until the bottom of the 7th, when it was their last chance to save their season.

They entered the inning trailing 9-5, and were able to score two runs, but eventually came up short and the final score was 9-7, knocking the Hawks out of the district playoffs and ending their season.

However, the Hawks had a season to be proud of, putting together a respectable record despite losing 12 seniors to graduation last year. A young Hawks team stepped up and now has a bright future ahead of them for next year as they graduate just six seniors from the squad – Forest Hussey, Jordan Yoshida, Torin Webster, Quintin Barnard, Lucas Pope and Connor Clausen. Of those seniors, Barnard had the most playing time as a position player and Clausen was the only senior pitcher on the club.

Ferndale – who beat the Hawks 2-0 – Meadowdale and Glacier Peak earned trips to the 3A State Tournament.