The Philomath High School baseball team’s season ended Friday at Astoria with a 5-0 loss in a Class 4A play-in game.
The Warriors finished with an overall record of 11-14.
Seniors Karson Hawkins and Niko Boudreau limited Philomath to just five hits on the afternoon while combining for the shutout. Hawkins got the start and went five innings, allowing four hits and one walk with three strikeouts. Boudreau threw the last two innings and allowed one hit and no walks with two strikeouts.
The Warriors got into a 1-0 hole in the first inning with that score staying on the scoreboard until the fifth inning. Philomath’s leadoff batter, Grant Niemann, singled to open the game, stole second and advanced to third on a passed ball but was stranded. In the second, Philomath left base runners on second and third after a David Griffith single and Wylie Griffith double.
Astoria didn’t allow any base runners to get past first base again until the sixth inning. By then, the Fishermen had a 3-0 lead after pushing a pair across in the fifth.
Niemann reached third and Mason Stearns got to second in the sixth thanks to an error and a hit batsman. But a strikeout, infield grounder and fly to right ended the PHS threat.
Astoria added two more in the sixth for a 5-0 lead. In the seventh, David Griffith led off with a double but the Fishermen ended the game on two infield pop-ups and a strikeout.
David Griffith went 2 for 3 with Niemann, Wylie Griffith and Kash Lindsey accounting for the other Philomath hits. Pitcher Brayden Shenk in his final appearance for the Warriors threw a complete game, allowing seven hits, three earned runs and three walks with six strikeouts.
Junior Merrick Benesch went 2 for 3 and senior Gunnar Olsen was 2 for 4 to lead Astoria at the plate. The Fishermen (10-13) advance to the 4A state playoffs.
