State tournament previews: Boys soccer and fastpitch

The first batch of state tournaments are taking place this week across King County and Pierce County. Soccer and fastpitch are set to take place this week. Here are the local matchups in the first round of these tournaments.

Soccer

4A

15 Kentridge @ 2 Woodinville: May 21 @ Woodinville HS, 7 p.m.

Skinny: Kentridge entered the district tournament as the 12th seed and took on 13th seed Graham-Kapowsin. The Charger defense has turned up the pressure and over the last three games. Kentridge won all three loser-out games and didn’t allow a single goal for the second time this season.

The Chargers during a three game span over April 9-18 had three consecutive shutout wins this season.

12 Lincoln (Seattle) @ 5 Hazen: Date and Time TBD

Skinny: The Highlanders looked like they were world beaters until they took on the would-be second seeded Woodinville Falcons. The Falcons dominated Hazen with a 5-0 win in the district two championship.

Hazen has been arguably the most under-rated and overlooked squad this season — a side that was seeded 10th in the most competitive district in soccer made it to the championship game. The Highlanders could absolutely be a team that makes a run in the 4A tournament.

3A

18 Ridgeline @ 15 Auburn Mountainview: May 21 @ Auburn Mountainview 5 p.m.

Skinny: The Lions waited until the very end of the district tournament to qualify for the state tournament and did so with a 3-2 win over Mountain View (Vancouver). Kent-Meridian shut out Auburn Mountainview for their first win over the Lions all season.

Sergio Mercado, Benji Toscano have been key contributors all season and need to rise to the occasion against Ridgeline. If they win, the Lions take on the second seeded and district champion Heritage. Last year’s Lions side was the 17 seed and ended in the final four, and if any team could make a run, it would be this Lion team.

19 Ballard @ 14 Kent-Meridian: May 20 @ French Field 7 p.m.

Skinny: Kent-Meridian hasn’t made a state tournament main draw since 1981. In 2023, they made the exact same game they are playing against the Beavers. Ballard beat Kent-Meridian 5-0 two years ago to hold the Royals out of the main draw of the state tournament.

The Royals are a much different team than the one from two years ago. Keilor Garcia and Irving Baca Silva are difference makers who can take Kent-Meridian to another level. Those two combined with goalkeeper Joey Villanueva will be crucial to their success.

Fastpitch

19 Hermiston @ 14 Auburn Mountainview: May 22 @ Regional Athletic Complex, 3 p.m.

Skinny: Auburn Mountainview fastpitch are in an opening round game for the second year in a row. The Lions are just one seed lower than last season where they defeated Central Kitsap before falling the Mount Spokane by one.

The Lions have been driven by their bats this year. They were two games back of the first placed Enumclaw Hornets, but averaged more runs than the Hornets (12.5 RPG). If the bats are hot from the jump for players like Mia Heigh and Brynna Erdmann, they can create some chaos in the bracket.

11 Timberline @ 6 Liberty: May 23 @ Regional Athletic Complex, 9 a.m.

Skinny: The Patriots ended the season on a hot streak of hot streaks. Liberty won the KingCo championship without allowing a run and was given the two seed in the district tournament. Liberty beat Seattle Prep, Roosevelt and top-seeded Ballard to take a district two crown.

Avery Huh struck out 20 in the win over Seattle Prep and hit a home run. She also hit two homers in the win over Roosevelt, while also striking out 15. In the championship, Emi Connell went 3-for-4 with a homer, and in the circle, Huh silenced Ballard, who had won seven games in a row.

Keilor Garcia puts Decatur to bed after scoring the second Royals goal of the night. Ben Ray / The Reporter

Benji Toscano celebrates his goal against Kent-Meridian. Ben Ray / The Reporter