April 23, 2025
ISSUE 17
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Cruisers pay respects, pick up two wins By Skip Smith Contributing Writer
The Eatonville High School baseball team went 2-1 last week, highlighted by a dramatic walk-off win and an extra-inning slugfest at Cheney Stadium, improving to 4-7 overall and 3-4 in league play. On Tuesday, April 15, the Cruisers edged Steilacoom 7-6 at home in a wild, backand-forth contest that ended with Waylon Berg getting hit by a pitch to drive in the game-winning run in the bottom of the seventh. Eatonville took an early 5-2 lead in the third before multiple errors allowed Steilacoom to tie it. Brody Thirtyacre, Owen Archer, and Justen Koch combined for four hits and three RBIs from the bottom of the order. Archer earned the win in relief, and Thirtyacre chipped in with two hits and an RBI. The following day, Eatonville dropped a tight 8-6 game at Steilacoom despite another early lead. Errors proved costly as the Sentinels capitalized on miscues in the fourth to take control. Ethan Evans doubled in a run, and Aaron Tozier and Koch also drove in runs. Ben Smith took the loss on the mound. Eatonville closed out the week with an extra-innings thriller on Thursday, April 17, defeating Mount Tahoma 12-9 in a wild contest played at Cheney Stadium in Tacoma. Before the game,
COURTESY
Eatonville senior Justen Koch earned the win on the mound in relief to help the Cruisers defeat the Thunderbirds 12-9. the team honored fallen teammate Jason Naro, who passed away, with an emotional first pitch thrown out by his mother, Becca DePersio. The tribute set the tone for a game filled with heart and resilience. Mount Tahoma jumped out to a quick lead, capitalizing on an Eatonville error and an RBI single from
Ronin Dijos in the first inning. A two-run double by Carson Roll in the second pushed the Thunderbirds' lead to 4-0. Eatonville chipped away at the lead, finally breaking through in the fifth when Santiago Ruvalcaba singled to center to score two runs, followed by a two-run double down the left field line by Brody Thirtyacre
to give the Cruisers a 5-4 edge. Mount Tahoma answered in the bottom of the sixth, retaking a 7-6 lead after scoring on a groundout, a single from Dijos, and a passed ball. But Thirtyacre came through again, delivering a gametying RBI triple in the top of the seventh to knot the game at 8-8. After Mount Tahoma
extended the game with a single by DJ Geddis in the bottom half of the inning, the Cruisers broke it open in the eighth. Aaron Leiter singled in the go-ahead run to make it 9-8, and Koch followed with a two-run triple to deep right-center. An additional insurance run scored on a passed ball, giving Eatonville
a four-run cushion heading into the bottom of the eighth. Justen Koch, who also earned the win on the mound in relief, closed things out with a clean eighth. Koch pitched one and one-third innings, allowing no earned runs. Thirtyacre also delivered on the mound,
BASEBALL, 5
Eatonville boys soccer earns first win By Skip Smith Contributing Writer
The Eatonville High School boys’ soccer team notched its first win of the season Monday but faced a tough slate of matches as the week progressed, finishing 1-3 over four games. The Cruisers opened the week on a high note with a 3-1 road victory over Foss on April 14. Nate Christianson put Eatonville in front early with a long-range free kick. Ben Brent doubled the lead with a header off a corner. Foss pulled one back via a penalty kick awarded after a deflection in the box,
but Christianson completed his brace with a penalty of his own to seal the win. The following night, Eatonville fell 4-1 at home to Fife. The Trojans struck twice in the first half before Ben Brent scored just before the break. Fife added two more in the second half to secure the win. On April 16, the Cruisers were blanked 2-0 by Franklin Pierce in a road matchup, struggling to generate offense against a solid Cardinals defense.
SOCCER, 5
COURTESY HEATHER QUIRIE
The Eatonville Cruiser soccer team pose for a photo following their 3-1 defeat of the Foss Falcons, notching their first victory of the season.