Baseball team to face 2A district league leaders in first playoff game

Colby Knutzen goes for a bunt in a 2–0 Borderites win against Meridian on Monday, May 2.Photo by Janell Kortlever

The Borderites varsity baseball team is going to the 2A district playoffs and will face league leader Burlington-Edison at 3 p.m. on Saturday, May 7 at Daniels Field in Anacortes.

The Borderites team finished the regular season with losses to Sehome and Ferndale and a win against Meridian. The team’s 7–5 record in conference games earned them the lowest seed in the playoffs.

“We had a couple tough games the last week,” head coach Larry Hoffman said. “We really needed to play well against Meridian on Monday and we probably played our best game of the season. That’s what pushed us into the playoffs.”

The Borderites last went to 2A playoffs in 2011, said Blaine High School athletic coordinator Steve Miller. The Borderites also made it to the playoffs in 2013 as a 1A team.

Blaine has to beat Burlington-Edison, which has an 11–1 record, to advance to the next round of district playoffs. The two teams played each other in an April 4 game that Blaine lost 6–1.

“It all starts over on Saturday and everybody has a 0–0 record,” Hoffman said. “It’s a very big accomplishment for our guys to make this district tournament in one of the toughest 2A districts in the. We’re excited to be there but we don’t feel like we don’t have a chance to win.”

The Borderites lost their final regular season game 12–2 against Ferndale on Tuesday, May 3.