After playing three straight league champion opponents, the Highline Pirates emerged with a District Title on Saturday night at Auburn Mountainview.   After vanquishing GSHL Champion, Camas on Tuesday, SPSL Champion Enumclaw was next and the Pirates thoroughly dismantled the Hornets 15-0.  Junior, Caleb Ramirez was pressed into an emergency start on the mound and was masterful through five innings givng up just four hits. Several doubleplays and diving catches helped the cause along the way.  Highline got solo homeruns from Ryan Brett, Lee Carson and Derick Lewis.  Derick also came on in relief to pitch the final two innings. 

The win placed Highline in the championship game against the number 4 ranked Western Cascade Conference Champion, Capital Cougars.  Ryan Brett led off with a single, stole second and third and came home on an infield error to put the Pirates on the board in the first.  A walk, a single and two sacrifices produced two more runs in the third.  Meantime, Derick Lewis was back on the mound holding the Cougars at bay giving up just two basehits through 4+ innings. In the bottom of the fourth, Luke Werle led off with a double and scored on Ryan Lingle's single.  Lingle also came on in relief in the fifth and held Capital for 1 2/3 innings when Ryan Brett was summoned for the "Save" with two men on and nobody out in the top of the seventh.  Ryan got two groundouts and finished it with a strikeout to end the game and help give Highline their first District Crown since 2004. 

Highline travels to Centralia next Saturday at Wheeler Park for the first round of the State Tournament.  The opponent appears to be Columbia River but could not be officially confirmed.  The game time has also, not been confirmed but will be either 10:00 AM or 1:00 PM depending on which teams have the farthest distance to travel once the bracket has been finalized.

The Daily Olympian ran a story for their Sunday edition which is available through the following link.   I think the "Pirate Nation" will take exception to the opinion of the Capital coach who said "Nobody remembers who won  Districts." http://www.theolympian.com/2010/05/16/1240189/capital-loses-title-game-settles.html