Undefeated Puyallup wiggles out of late jams to secure 4A bi-district baseball championship

Two sixth-inning defensive gems, Madden Pike's high-wire mound act for final out is enough for Vikings to hold off 4A SPSL foe Sumner, 7-6

Kyler Malnar and No. 1 Puyallup kept its undefeated record intact with a 7-6 victory over 4A SPSL foe Sumner in the District 3/4 championship game Saturday in Maple Valley. / Photo by Todd Milles

MAPLE VALLEY, Wash. - In what is turning out as one of Puyallup's finest baseball seasons in program history - undefeated and nationally-ranked - the one ballclub the Vikings have seen enough is the one they defeated for the Class 4A District 3/4 championship Saturday night.

Almost-there Sumner.

And this was arguably the most suspenseful of the four seasons meetings between 4A SPSL rivals - one in which Puyallup eked out a 7-6 victory to claim its first bi-district title since 2021 (officially ending Olympia's three-year run).

Noah Benedict hit a tiebreaking run-scoring double in the fourth inning, and the top-ranked Vikings rode late-inning defense, stellar relief pitching to keep their undefeated record intact, and all but wrap up the top overall seed when the WIAA brackets are released Sunday morning.

Afterward, Puyallup coach Marc Wiese lauded how the Spartans have become the one squad this season to stay right with his team.

'if we play again, it means we're probably in a state championship game," Wiese said. "If that is the case, it's great for the South Puget Sound League and Pierce County.

"We have a lot of respect of those guys ... and this battle we knew was going to be tough."

Puyallup is also No. 4 in High School On SI's latest national baseball rankings.

The Spartans ad their chances over the final two innings to regain the lead and possibly take home the trophy under first-year coach Dylan Mclauchlin, who guided West Seattle to the Class 3A crown a year ago in Pasco.

With runners at second and third base, and one out in the sixth inning, Sumner's Jacob Miller smashed a hard grounder right back to reliever Madden Pike on the mound, who snared it cleanly and tossed over to first base.

With two outs, cleanup hitter Xander Cypher hit a sinking line drive in left center field that Riley Sanoy laid out for to making the diving catch to end the inning, and protect the Vikings' slim lead.

In the seventh inning, Pike loaded the bases with two outs, but got leadoff hitter Jaxon Cummings to ground out to second base to end the game.

"I love the challenge," Pike said. "I mean, it gets a little stressful at times, but I don't let it get to me."

Sumner jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning, highlighted by Cole Miller's two-run double.

But after answering with a pair of runs in the first inning, the Vikings scored four runs an inning later off RBI hits by Sanoy, Mason Pike, Kyler Malnar and Keagan Soliza.

The Spartans tied it at 6-6 on Grayson Meier's two-run triple in the third inning.

"We're there every time," Mclauchlin said. "This is a group that is going to keep fighting."

Neither starting pitcher - Puyallup's Maxwell Schweyen and Sumner's Garrett Levenhagen - lasted long, leaving the game in the hands of Madden Pike, who retired 15 of the final 20 batters he faced without giving up a run, and left-hander Ryder Peterson, who tossed three-plus innings of one-run ball for the Spartans.

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