On Friday, April 22, the Issaquah Eagles faced off against the Woodinville Falcons at Issaquah High. The Eagles were motivated for another win to add to the season record, as well as wanting to give the Falcons some payback, as earlier in the year, they traveled to Woodinville where the Eagles let the Falcons run away with the game at the end. The Eagles dominated all game and came out on top with a 4-3 win. With junior Preston Crockett on the mound pitching well, Crockett pitched for 6.2 innings only letting up one run until the top of the seventh where the Falcons rallied for two more runs, but it was not enough to keep the game going. Crockett was happy with his performance as he said, “It felt nice to come out with a good team win, and it was a plus to get some redemption.” Crockett had pitched against the Falcons last time they met. 

The Eagles defense was not the only thing going well for the Eagles, Their offense was also impressive. The Eagle’s bats were hot with senior Chandler Tuupo having two stand up doubles including one in the bottom of the first setting junior Bryan Sfanos up for an RBI opportunity which gave the Eagles the lead early which they kept the whole game. Tuupo’s bat has been on fire this season and had some impressive hits in the game. When asked about his success on the the field, Tuupo was humble with his performance saying, “Winning is the most important thing, I care more about winning than anything. Having a good performance on the field is a nice plus to the day.”

 The big win over the Falcons improves the team’s record to 13-4 punching their ticket into the 4A playoffs as they stand tied for second in Kingco with Eastlake, with Mount Si barely sitting on top. Coach Rob Reese was happy with the win saying, “It did not matter about redemption today, it meant more that we put another win on our shoulder and get ready for the playoffs.” The Falcons have just two more games left in the season with Senior Night being on Wednesday versus Newport and ending the season off on Friday at Skyline. The Eagles have a impressive roster and led by three-time state champion head coach Rob Reese, the Eagles definitely have a good chance to make a run in the playoffs.