23-0! Undefeated Puyallup overpowers Sumner in 4A SPSL championship

Yahoo

08-05-2025

Puyallup's undefeated season continues: Gage Thompson doubled twice, Mason Pike drove in two runs, and the Vikings toppled Sumner, 11-7, in Wednesday night's 4A SPSL championship.
Puyallup (23-0), ranked No. 3 nationally by MaxPreps, completed an unblemished run through one of the state's deeper leagues and remains the clear-cut 4A favorite entering next week's district tournament. The Vikings finished runner-up to Richland last year.
'These guys have a ton of pressure on themselves,' longtime Vikings head coach Marc Wiese said. 'They go out and they expect to win every game. We've had to really grind.
'These guys are resilient and have an opportunity to do something extremely special. In 2014, we went 28-0 and (now) we're ranked in the top five in the country. We have a shot. But we also know that there's a lot of teams in the state of Washington that can beat us in a one-game series. It's baseball.'
The Vikings led by as many as seven runs in Wednesday's league championship, grabbing four runs in each of the first and third innings.
Pike, the state's top pitching prospect who threw five scoreless frames in Tuesday's semifinals, sparked Wednesday's scoring spree with an RBI double and finished 2-for-4 with a run and two RBI. Puyallup threatened for more in the first before Sumner starter Xander Cypher induced a strikeout and popout to stop the bleeding, stranding the bases loaded.
'I thought we had a shot to really break it open and get a few more,' Wiese said of the first inning. 'Xander made a couple good pitches and stopped us there.'
Cypher threw four frames, allowing eight hits and eight earned runs with four strikeouts.
In the third, freshman DH Madden Pike ripped an RBI double and Mason Pike's ensuing single scored his younger brother, capping another four-run frame.
Puyallup lefty Jett Reed went three innings, allowing six hits and four earned runs. He walked three and struck out four.
Thompson went 2-for-4 and scored two runs. Vikings catcher Keagan Soliza went 1-for-3 with two RBI.
Sumner rallied for three runs in the final frame, headlined by Jake Miller's two-run double.
Puyallup would clinch a state-tournament berth with a win in their district opener on May 13. Matchups are to be determined.
'Hopefully, the bats can remain hot,' Wiese said. 'I like what we can do offensively as a whole.'