KENT LITTLE LEAGUE: 9-10 All-Stars snag state crown

He looks up to Tim Lincecum, the star right-handed pitcher of the San Francisco Giants and Liberty High product.

On Saturday, Kent’s Jaylen Eichler, as he has done all season, pitched just like his idol.

Behind yet another solid pitching performance from Eichler, the Kent Little League 9 and 10-year-old All-Star team brought home the state championship, fending off Gig Harbor 3-2 at Valley Ridge Park in SeaTac.

“Winning the state title would have been really tough to do it without Jaylen,” said Kent coach Steve Wright.

How tough?

During the district tournament, Eichler won a pair of games and struck out 16 batters in 9 2/3 innings of scoreless work, helping Kent twirl a perfect 4-0 record. The 10-year-old righthander was just as good during the state tournament, allowing one earned run in 13 2/3 innings pitched. He also picked up the win in the championship game against Gig Harbor, allowing just one run and striking out seven in 4 1/3 innings pitched.

“He has such good poise and he doesn’t get flustered,” said Wright. “He just does his business, works ahead of the batters and his offspeed stuff is great. It’s amazing how many strikes he throws.”

Kind of like his local hero who now plays for the San Francisco Giants.

“He uses all his body, not just his arm and he pitches with momentum,” Eichler said of Lincecum.

And like Lincecum, Eichler is as competitive as they come.

When asked about his golden pitching performances, Eichler responded: “Pretty good, but I felt like I shouldn’t have given up any runs.”

Of course, Eichler’s dominance was only half the story for the Kent team.

In the championship victory over Gig Harbor, Cody Faulkner ignited the offense in the third with a leadoff single to the right-center gap. Moments later, Travis Hansen singled home Faulkner, giving Kent a 1-0 lead. Nate Arreola then singled home Hansen, essentially giving Eichler and the rest of the Kent pitching staff all the offense it would need.

Gig Harbor cut the Kent lead to 2-1 with a fourth-inning run.

Kent, however, quickly responded in the fifth, when Ryan Anderton singled home Arreola, pushing the lead to 3-1. Arreola reached on a single.

Gig Harbor threatened in the sixth inning, opening the frame with back-to-back singles, which put runners on first and third base with not outs. Kent catcher Cody Faulkner threw out the runner on first attempting to steal, then pitcher Jacob Anderson – after one run came home to score – iced the title with a pair of strikeouts.

“That was a huge play,” Wright said of Faulkner’s throw. “Now, we have one out and a runner on third with a two-run lead.”

As good as Kent’s pitching was throughout the tournament, it also showed plenty of thump at the plate and proved to be stingy on defense as well. For the tournament, Kent outscored its opponents 43-7. Most of those runs, however, came in Kent’s first two wins, when it throttled South Skagit 18-1 and followed with a 13-1 thumping of Asotin County.

Defensively, there wasn’t a more sound team in the tournament. In four games, Kent committed just three errors.

“They were just so strong defensively,” Wright said. “Our outfield in particular was phenomenal. They didn’t give up the extra base.”

That outfield includes Anderson in right field and Hansen in center. Kent rotated Koby Huerta, Jordon Wright and Grant Stockman in left field.

In the championship victory, Arreola led the Kent offense with three hits, a run scored and an RBI. Faulkner, Anderton and Hansen also added hits.

The title capped a perfect run through district and state for the Kent boys, which completed the summer with an unblemished 9-0 record.

“It was really big winning state,” Eichler said. “It was fun.”

KENT 9-10 ROUNDUP

• Kent 18, South Skagit 2, Game 1: Kent wasted little time jumping on South Skagit, scoring five first-inning runs and nine more in the second. Ben Wadowski and Nate Arreola delivered big for the Kent stars. Wadowski belted a home run while Arreola went 4-for-4 with a pair of RBIs. Ryan Anderton also swung a hot bat, driving in four runs.

• Kent 13, Asotin County 1, Game 2: Kent’s bats remained torrid in a rout of Asotin County. Jaylen Eichler continued to come up big for the Kent team, going 2-for-2 with a grand slam and five RBIs. Ryan Anderton picked up the win on the mound, striking out four in four scoreless innings of work. Jacob Anderson and Ben Woods also chipped in on offense. Anderson went 2-for-3 while Woods added a hit and two RBIs.

• Kent 5, Alderwood 3, Game 3: This proved to be the pivotal game of the tournament for the Kent boys. Tied 0-0 in the ninth inning – the third extra frame of the contest – Kent struck for five runs. Alderwood responded with a three-run ninth, but it was to no avail as Kent earned a berth in the semifinals. Jaylen Eichler continued to be the ace on the mound for Kent, working scoreless 71/3 innings and striking out 11. Eichler added a pair of hits and an RBI. Jacob Anderson picked up the win with 1 2/3 solid innings of relief. Anderson chipped in a pair of hits and an RBI at the plate as well. Ryan Anderton added a hit and an RBI in the win.

• Kent 4, Gig Harbor 1, semifinals: Down 1-0, the Kent stars used small-ball tactics, piecing together four runs on bunts, a handful of walks and some good baserunning. The win helped Kent earn a berth in the championship game.

MEET THE CHAMPIONS

The Kent Little League 9 and 10-year-old All-Star team includes coaches Steve Wright and Mark Anderton along with players Jacob Anderson, Ryan Anderton, Nathan Arreola, Jaylen Eichler, Cody Faulkner, Travis Hansen, Bennett Harrison, Koby Huerta, Grant Stockman, Benjamin Wadowski, Benjamin Woods and Jordon Wright.