Week two of the Vashon varsity baseball season is in the books and our Pirates in pinstripes continue to impress.

An away game against what looks to be Vashon’s toughest competition in the Nisqually League, Bellevue Christian took place on March 28.

Will Frith started on the mound and held the Vikings scoreless in the first three innings along with key defensive plays from third-baseman Chase Bradrick and catcher Will Weber.

“The first three innings were a pitcher’s duel,” said Coach Simon Perrin. “Frith pitched great. Will Weber kept the base running tight, and he had a throw down. Then we had an error and it started a momentum swing; we couldn’t recover.”

The Pirates loaded the bases in the top of the third, but couldn’t push a run across. Still 0-0 in the bottom of the fourth inning, the Vikings manufactured a two-out rally after an error and scored three runs.

Vashon scored two runs in the sixth inning, with singles from Sam Walker, Frith and Jack Harvey, and a sacrifice fly from Weber. Sam Walker pitched in relief and both pitchers ended the day with four earned runs. However, the takeaway from the 2-8 loss was that this Pirates team is totally capable of playing with anyone in the league. With two more games against the Vikings next week, a worthy and welcomed challenge lies ahead.

The next two games, against the same team, from East Jefferson, resulted in pretty much the same outcomes but were two completely different experiences.

Game one against East Jefferson on March 30 was at the opponent’s home field. A late ferry and heavy traffic, from a raised Hood Canal Bridge, got the game off to an uncomfortable start with the varsity bus arriving at game time.

The home team and umpires were accommodating to the tardy Pirates but then proceeded to provide such a slow pace of play that it produced a game just shy of three hours, despite a mercy rule in the sixth inning.

Finn Hawkins threw a complete game on the mound for Vashon, only giving up four hits and two runs with 11 strikeouts. Will Weber and Finn Magonegil both doubled, and Maxwell Delgado-Williams and Jack Harvey singled, but the Pirates did not have a particularly good hitting day with only those five hits.

However, East Jefferson’s backstop is strangely major league distance, or even greater, which matched up well with Vashon’s aggressive style of baserunning. The Pirates took a ton of bases on steals, wild pitches, and passed balls.

“We got on base, but the production was minimal, and despite the win, the boys said, ‘that didn’t feel good,’” said Coach Perrin.

The final was a 12-2 2 Vashon win, wrapped with a quick sprint to the bus to catch the Pt. Defiance ferry after the chilly, marathon game.

On April 1, the Pirates’ second game with East Jefferson, at Vashon’s Jim Martin field, had the exact opposite flow. In one hour and 20 minutes in front of a large home crowd, the Pirates executed a well-played and efficient game, ending with a 0-13 win in the 5th. Senior Sam Walker was in control on the mound and threw a shutout for the Pirates, giving up only two hits.

Coach Perrin said, “That’s one of the most efficient outings Sam has had, with 40 of 59 pitches for strikes,” said Coach Perrin.

Again, the baserunning was outstanding with constant pressure on the opponent’s defense, including Will Weber sliding safely home on a busted play.

The team ended the week with a solid season record of four wins and two losses in conference play.

Coach Perrin said, “Our energy was awesome, they love playing at home. And again, they are discovering and fixing problems in a very short period of time — that is very promising.”

Our home crowd on April 1 was full of excited islanders watching a really fun brand of baseball. If you haven’t been to a Pirate’s game yet this season, join us — I guarantee you’ll be glad you did.

The next games for Vashon Varsity Baseball are:

April 5 at home, vs. Bellevue Christian at 4 p.m.

April 6, at Bellevue Christian 6:30 p.m.

April 8, at Sultan High School at 3 p.m.

April 11, at Charles Wright, at 4 p.m.

For the full schedule, visit tinyurl.com/3mkznpts.