Auburn Riverside ended its season with a 6-5 loss to Gonzaga Prep (20-7) in the first round of the state 4A baseball playoffs at Avista Field in Spokane last Saturday.
The Ravens (17-9) were unable to protect a 5-1 lead.
“We came out and played just the way we wanted to,” said coach Jon Aarstad. “We were up and things were rolling. I think everyone just relaxed and thought the game was in the bag, and that came back to bite us. That’s been an emphasis of ours all year, making sure we put teams away. We just couldn’t do it.”
For the Ravens, senior third baseman Cameron Boardway went 2-for-3 with two runs scored. Senior outfielder Nick Minteer added two hits, including a double, and two RBIs.
Gonzaga University-bound senior Michael Rucker was tagged with the loss.
Despite the loss, Aarstad praised his team’s run this year and is optimistic about the outlook for next season. The Ravens recovered from a 1-5 start in the South Puget Sound League North to finish 9-7 in league play.
“I’m pleased with how much we improved,” he said. “I think I will always look back and feel that we had more baseball to play, but the kids worked hard all year.”
“We are going to be solid (next year),” he added. “We need to fill a couple of holes, but we have some guys who are going to be able to step up and compete at this level. I think offensively we will be better than we were this year. Defensively, we’ll see, and on the mound we’ll be deeper.”
