4/21/26
(Chehalis, WA) Last week was a big turning point in the season for the Aberdeen Bobcats. A big two games against Tumwater turned into a split and WF West’s win over Tumwater put the Bobcats just a game back of WF West and in sole possession of second place in the Evergreen 2A conference. With two games against WF West this week, Aberdeen had a chance to jump WF West and take over first place in the league.
That is easier said than done as the Bobcats had not beaten WF West since 2013. It would not be any easier this season with the Bearcats on an 11-game winning streak heading into the Tuesday showdown. A win over Aberdeen would give the Bearcats a big two-game cushion in the league and plant them firmly in the driver’s seat in their quest for a second consecutive league title.
WF West 21, Aberdeen 2
Connor Coleman ran right through the Bobcats in the top of the 1st and then the Bearcats set the tone for this game in the bottom half of the inning. Singles by Wyatt Hoffman and Alex Stafford put two on before Coleman helped himself out with an RBI single to drive in the first run of the game. RBI singles by Beckman Dvorak and Gage Wiens followed before a couple of mental mistakes cost Aberdeen as well to bring home two more runs. Five runs came in to score on five hits for the Bearcats as they took an early 5-0 lead.
An error allowed Bubba Jones to become the first Bobcat to reach base but he would be left stranded in another scoreless inning for Coleman. Land’n Purdy came in to pitch and pitched well after giving up a single to Wyatt Hoffman that turned into a double on an error in the outfield. Purdy couldn’t hang up a zero as a wild pitch would bring Hoffman home to score to give the Bearcats a 6-0 lead.
Things got shaky for Connor Coleman in the 3rd as Land’n Purdy worked a walk to begin the inning. A wild pitch moved the runner to second and Donny Hedpeth’s grounder to short looked to be an out but a low throw to third couldn’t be handled as runners were then at first and third. A balk would bring in an Aberdeen run and an RBI groundout by Mason Hill added another to make it 6-2.
WF West then followed by breaking things open in the next two innings. Connor Coleman’s two-run bomb was just one of the offensive highlights for the Bearcats. 11 different Bearcats would reach base in the 3rd and 4th innings and a couple more that didn’t reach base still drove in runs. The Bearcats would tag Aberdeen for 15 runs on nine hits in those innings with four extra base hits, including two by Alex Stafford who finished just a home run shy of the cycle. 11 Bearcats drove in a run 10 Bearcats scored a run. It was an emphatic run for the WF West Bearcats as they broke things wide open with a 21-2 lead.
While Aberdeen had a tough task to avoid a mercy rule loss, they looked to breakup Coleman’s no-hitter in the 5th. He made quick work of Chad Fretts and Isaac McCarty before walking pinch hitter Carter Kolodzie. That turned the lineup card over for Sam Schreiber but his AB was cut short. Alex Stafford cutdown Kolodzie trying to steal to end the game and give Coleman a no-hitter with WF West dominating this one, 21-2.
Our Thorbeckes MVP of the game went to Connor Coleman once again. It was impossible to not go with the lefty again and there was an argument for him both at the plate and on the mound. At the plate, Coleman went 2-2 with two walks, a home run, three runs batted in and would have scored some runs if he didn’t get a courtesy runner. Then on the mound the southpaw threw a five-inning no-hitter with seven punchouts as well. It was another brilliant two-way performance from the future Washington State Cougar.
WF West moves to 12-1 as they win their 12th game in a row and now have a two-game lead in the Evergreen 2A conference. They will take their 7-0 league record into tomorrow’s road game at Aberdeen. The Bobcats fall to 7-4 overall and 5-2 in league play as they will look for some revenge against WF West at 4:30pm on Wednesday.
Notable Performances
Aberdeen
- Land’n Purdy- BB, R, 1.2 IP, 4 H, 7 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 2 SO
- Mason Hill- 1 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 5 ER, RBI
WF West
- Connor Coleman- 5 IP, 0 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 7 SO, 2-2, HR, 3 RBI, 2 BB
- Wyatt Hoffman- 4-5, 2 RBI, 4 R, SB
- Alex Stafford- 3-4, 2B, 3B, 2 RBI, 3 R
Link to watch full game replay on the NFHS Network (subscription required)
ESN Postgame Show
Highlights
Stafford RBI Triple
Coleman Two-Run Shot
Aberdeen Circus Catch
elisportsnetwork.com