4/28/26

(Kelso, WA) With just two league games to play, the Kelso Hilanders saw their leash get shorter in the quest to win a Greater St. Helens League 3A baseball title. They entered the week with in essence a two-game lead in the league since they own the tiebreaker over the Mountain View Thunder. Mountain View beat Evergreen on Monday night while Kelso dropped their opener to the reigning league champions in Prairie. The Falcons stayed alive with the win but in game two, a Kelso win would eliminate Prairie from repeating as league champs.

Kelso 10, Prairie 0

It was a terrific start for Kelso as Blake Larwick made a diving stop at third to retire Cameron McCray to begin the game. Bryce Collins struck out the next two and then Kelso struck in the bottom of the 1st. Three walks loaded the bases with nobody out and the Hilanders didn’t try to do too much. An RBI groundout by Adam Swanson and a sacrifice fly by Trey Snow gave Kelso a 2-0 lead without a hit being recorded.

Both Bryce Collins and Jackson Blickenstaff would spin 1-2-3 innings in the 2nd and Collins remained perfect after the 3rd. In the bottom half, Kelso would add on. With nobody on and two outs, the Hilanders rallied as Adam Swanson was hit by a pitch followed by a Trey Snow single. With two on, Westyn Bell came through with an RBI single to make it 3-0. They carried the momentum into the 4th after Brady Snaza was hit by a pitch and stole base. He would end up scoring on an RBI single by Carter Huntley making it 4-0 with Prairie in search of their first baserunner.

The Falcons would finally get in the hit column in the 5th as Fischer Von Ruden reached with an infield single to begin the inning. It never led to anything as Bryce Collins remained locked in and retired the next three with two coming via strikeouts. It was a brilliant day for the senior on Senior Night as the Ole Miss commit cruised through five innings without a run or walk allowed and just the one singular hit. Collins struck out 10 as well as he made sure his Senior Night would be special for him and the other five seniors on the team.

This one would come to an early conclusion as the Hilanders ran away in the bottom of the 5th. 11 Hilanders came to the plate in the inning as they pushed across six runs (technically seven) on four hits. Miles Franett drove in a run on a single and Brady Snaza had an RBI on a bases loaded walk. Bryce Collins brought home a run with a sacrifice fly before senior Tyen Lee had a pinch hit RBI single. Trey Snow ended it with a two-run double to bring this game to a close in five innings. Kelso put themselves a win away from a league title with a 10-0 win over Prairie.

Our Thorbeckes MVP of the game went to Kelso designated hitter Trey Snow. The lefty was on base in three of his four plate appearances and the only time he didn’t reach base, he still drove in a run with a sacrifice fly. Snow was 2-2 including a walk-off double and drove in three while scoring a run. Both of his hits came on the first pitch of the AB as Snow was in swing mode all game long.

The win moves Kelso to 12-6 overall and 8-3 in GSHL 3A play while Prairie drops to 6-12 overall and 6-5 in league play. Only one league game remains as the two teams wrap up league play @ Prairie on Thursday at 4:30pm. Kelso owns the tiebreaker over Mountain View so they win the league title with a win or Mountain View loss to Evergreen while the Thunder can only win the league title with a win and a loss by Kelso. All five teams in the GSHL 3A will participate in the District 4 3A baseball tournament along with Shelton out of the Evergreen 2A.

Notable Performances

Prairie

Kelso

• Bryce Collins- 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 10 SO, 0-2, RBI, BB
• Trey Snow- 2-2, 2B, 3 RBI, R, BB
• Carter Huntley- 1-2, RBI, R, BB

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

ESN Postgame Show

Highlights

Larwick Defensive Gem

Prairie Turns Two

Snow Walks it Off

elisportsnetwork.com