4/22/26

(Kelso, WA) An extra day off for the GSHL 3A teams provided additional rest for the Mountain View Thunder and Kelso Hilanders as the two teams met in game two of their three-game series on Wednesday. Kelso’s 8-2 win over Mountain View in the opener put the Hilanders atop the GSHL 3A and a win in game two would give Kelso a two-game lead over both the Thunder and Prairie Falcons heading down the stretch of the regular season. For Mountain View, a win in game two would get everything back on track and set up a massive finale to determine the leader in the league at the end of the week.

Kelso 4, Mountain View 0

Bryce Collins was dealing out of the gate with a couple of punchouts in the top of the 1st before leading off the home half with a double. Carter Huntley could not get the bunt down but was hit by a 1-2 pitch to put him on with nobody out. Jackson Taylor settled in a bit and got a huge strikeout of Blake Larwick for the first out before he got some help from his defense. A grounder to the left side was gloved by Nick Wilcox, and despite sliding away from second base, still made a good throw to get Huntley at second for the second out. A pop up to Wilcox would get the Thunder out of the jam with the game still scoreless.

Collins struck out the side in order in the 2nd and got the lead the next time he took the mound. Singles by Myles Franett and Westyn Bell put two runners on with two away for the top of the order in Bryce Collins. A fly ball to left was misjudged by the left fielder which saw the ball drop for a base hit. The courtesy runner Tyen Lee was able to score and give Kelso the lead 1-0.

Everything was working for Bryce Collins as he had another 1-2-3 inning in the third but Jackson Taylor responded with a five pitch, 1-2-3 home half. Collins would retire the next two he faced for 11 in a row with 8 strikeouts. The perfect game and no-hit bid ended there as Nick Wilcox pulled a single into left field for the first Mountain View baserunner of the game. A groundout by Logan Josephsen would help erase that runner and get Collins back to the dugout with the shutout still intact.

Another Thunder runner was left on base as they stranded Legend Haskew’s courtesy runner AJ Kightlinger at third in the top of the 5th. Kelso would chase Jackson Taylor out of the game in the bottom of the 5th as well. Bryce Collins singled to lead off the inning before a sacrifice bunt by Carter Huntley moved the runner, Kenny Doble, to second. After Blake Larwick worked a walk, Adam Swanson brought home a run with an RBI single to make it 2-0. That ended Taylor’s day and he actually pitched pretty well and minimized damage before giving way to Owen Kendrick who escaped the inning without allowing another run.

With the score still 2-0 going into the bottom of the 6th, Mountain View needed to prevent their deficit from growing. An E5 put Sosefa Logotaeao on with one out before Westyn Bell joined him with his second hit of the game. The Thunder did get Bryce Collins to fly out for the second out, but damage was done by Carter Huntley. The shortstop flipped a base hit just in fair territory down the right field line. Logotaeao scored easily and a late send saw Bell come around to score all the way from first on the single. Kelso had pushed across two big insurance runs to push their lead up to 4-0.

Down to their final three outs, Mountain View would need a spark from the middle of their order. A couple of infield pop flies would be handled in foul territory for two quick outs. The Thunder didn’t go away quietly as Lucas Wolfley doubled into the right field corner to extend the game. Legend Haskew couldn’t keep it going as his fly ball to left was caught by Cole Bochart to end the game. Another impressive performance on the mound for Bryce Collins was in the books as some clutch hitting was enough to push Kelso past Mountain View, 4-0.

Our Thorbeckes MVP of the game went to Bryce Collins for Kelso. The Ole Miss commit was on his game at the plate and on the mound as Collins went 3-4 with a double and an RBI at the dish. What he did on the bump was even better as the senior spun a complete game shutout with just three hits allowed and no walks (one hit batter) while striking out ten. Outside of a couple of hiccups, Collins was in complete control and used his entire repertoire to keep the Thunder batters off balance as he rolled to yet another fantastic outing.

Kelso moves to 11-4 on the season with their seventh consecutive win and 7-1 in league play with now a two-game lead over the Thunder. Mountain View falls to 9-6 and 5-3 in league play as the two finish their series on Thursday at Mountain View at 4:30pm as the Hilanders look for the sweep. After that, the teams will be off until Monday when Kelso visits Prairie to begin a huge series while Mountain View hosts Evergreen.

Notable Performances

Mountain View

Kelso

• Bryce Collins- 7 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 10 SO, 3-4, 2B, RBI
• Carter Huntley- 1-2, 2 RBI, HBP, Sac Bunt
• Westyn Bell- 2-3, R

Link to watch full game replay on the NFHS Network (subscription required)

ESN Postgame Show

Highlights

Wilcox Saves Run

Kelso Strikes First

Huntley Adds Insurance

elisportsnetwork.com