The Issaquah High School JV Baseball Team displayed their talents with a 5-2 victory against Bothell. With a powerful defense and even more impressive offense, Issaquah started with two runs in the first inning and held the lead for the rest of the game.

Starting in the bottom of the first inning, #4, sophomore Lukas Farmer, walked followed by Issaquah hitting a double and a run. Sophomore Jacob Swanson, #21, went up to bat and hit a single as well as scoring the team another run. As the game went on, it became clear that Issaquah took advantage of Bothell’s sluggishness by stealing frequently. Also, one of their main pitchers #9, junior Ben Lake, went up to pitch for the second inning and consistently caused Bothell to strike out with carefully placed fastballs and curveballs. The scoring continued for Issaquah as during the bottom of the third Swanson hit a single with a run made possible due to previous steals. While Bothell scored a run in the fourth inning, Issaquah’s Lake went up to bat and scored a single with a run followed by Farmer sacrificing for another run.

Issaquah’s coach took advantage of the skills of both pitchers, Miller and Lake, who also excelled in the batting role. Lake especially caused multiple strike outs for Bothell and scored a single leading to a run. Additionally, Issaquah stole over 10 bases which helped set themselves up for runs. While no injuries occurred amongst the players, during the bottom of the fifth Miller hit a ball straight into the lap of a gentleman in the bleachers, causing a shock to his dog.

When asked about his strategy, Coach Dennis Chapman explained the formula to success: “Ten quality bats in a game, and we get pitching like that, two or less walks, over the years you win 100% of the games.” His strategy is shown to work as the players delivered. Lake said his main strategy just relied on his confidence. According to him, “I just go out there and I know I can do better than any other team here.” Additionally, Lake and Miller expressed their admiration for Issaquah’s catcher sophomore Clyde Umscheid who performed his best all season and sophomore Ethan Trenary who performed an excellent diving play at third base.
Overall, Issaquah’s JV team confidently held their ground against Bothell with their excellence shown by every play in the team. With a clean start to the spring season, JV baseball has shown that they’re a team to keep your eyes on.