Prep Baseball Roundup: Montesano back in state Final Four with wins in state tourney
Published 1:30 am Monday, May 25, 2026
The Montesano Bulldogs are in the state Final Four as we review Twin Harbors prep state baseball games.
~~~
1A STATE QUARTERFINAL
Montesano 3, Charles Wright-Life Christian 0
Montesano punched its first ticket to the state Final Four in three years with a 3-0 win over Charles Wright-Life Christian Academy in a 1A State Tournament quarterfinal game on Saturday at Olympic Stadium in Hoquiam.
The top-seeded Bulldogs (26-0 overall) had to fight for every run against the Tarriers (18-6) and their stingy starting pitcher Jonathan Garcia II.
The Bulldogs opened the scoring when shortstop Toren Crites led off the bottom of the second with a single, advanced to second on a balk, and reached third on a ground out by pitcher Caden Grubb.
Crites crossed the plate when first baseman Kole Kjesbu singled on a ground ball past third base to take a 1-0 lead.
The Bulldogs defense came up clutch after Summit Paddock walked with two outs in the top of the fourth.
Colby Stice then sliced a line drive toward the left-field line, bu Monte left fielder Mason Fry made a full-sprint diving catch to rob Stice of extra bases and preserve the one-run lead.
With one out in the bottom of the fourth, Kjesbu walked then stole second with Fry at the dish.
Fry grounded out on a come-backer to Garcia as Kjesbu broke for third, but first baseman Ryder Fox’s throw to third skipped into foul territory, allowing Kjesbu to score Monte’s second run of the game.
In the bottom of the fifth, Monte nine-hole hitter senior outfielder Carter Ames drove the first pitch of the frame over the left-field fence for a leadoff home run, giving Monte a much-needed insurance run and putting a charge into the large crowd of Monte faithful attending the game.
“I was pretty mad about my first at-bat when I struck out on an inside pitch,” Ames said. “I’ve been in a little slump myself. … I knew I had to do something about it and the first pitch I hit a home run off (Garcia). It felt amazing to do it in this game to because it was a really heated game. Off the bat, it felt really good. I heard everyone’s reaction and felt like it was going to go, but I just run down the basepaths. … More adrenaline went through all of us. That one hit changed everything. It went through to our pitching and defense.”
“That put one heck of a charge in us,” Caden Grubb said of Ames’ bomb. “We were all fired up. That was great.”
Grubb made the lead stick, working around a leadoff single in the sixth and retiring the side in order in the seventh to send Monte to its first state semifinal since 2023.
“I think we showed up to the field ready to go,” Caden Grubb said. “I don’t know if we’ve ever been so ready to play. We were not losing today. Walking in here, I knew we weren’t going to lose.”
Grubb allowed just one base hit – a leadoff single by Reece Colbert in the top of the sixth – walked three and struck out seven in a complete-game shutout performance.
“We’re just attacking the zone,” catcher Colton Grubb said of the success of Monte’s pitching staff on Saturday. “Our defense is amazing and we just stick to what we’ve been doing at the start of the year and we keep getting better. That’s what we’ve got to keep doing through the Final Four. We’ve got that end goal of a championship banner we want to hang up. We’re going to keep working and go do this thing.”
Five different Bulldogs had base hits in the game against Garcia, who allowed three runs (two earned) on five hits and two walks with six strikeouts in six innings.
Monte’s defense shined in the error-free victory. In addition to Fry’s run-saving catch in the fourth, the Bulldogs benefited from a diving catch by Colton Grubb on a tough foul pop behind the plate in the third, a nice backpedalling catch from second baseman Zach Timmons in the fifth, and a tricky hop on a sharp ground ball that was knocked down by third baseman Kolson Hendrickson, who recovered and threw to first for the first out of the seventh.
“We got to make plays for our pitchers,” Hendrickson said. “Everyone makes plays for me when I’m on (the mound), so I’ve got to make plays for the other pitchers on the mound. … Everyone is making plays around the field and it really helps (the pitchers) out.”
“I saw a lot of heart out of them today,” Caden Grubb said of the defense. “I feel like they were really backing me up out there and I appreciate them doing that.”
“The defense had been amazing,” Ames said. “We have to back up our pitchers because they do an amazing job on the mound.”
The win sends Monte to the state semifinals for the first time since a controversial seventh-inning balk call robbed the Bulldogs of a spot in the state-title game three seasons ago.
Those memories still linger in some of Monte’s upperclassmen, who were managers on that 2023 team.
“Me, Caden and Kolson were managers when our team went to the Final Four (in 2023),” Colton Grubb said. “I want to live that moment and it feels surreal because you dream of doing this. Now we got a chance to do what we’ve really wanted to do and I think we’ve got a shot.”
“It meant a lot,” said Ames, a senior who played with older brother Kaleb on the 2023 team. “We went to the Final Four and it’s amazing I get to go back for my senior year. We want redemption and to get it back for our seniors in the past. They deserve it.”
“Losing this game last year, we wanted to get revenge,” Caden Grubb said. “It felt good, winning this game.”
“It all starts with our pitching,” Monte head coach Mike Osgood said. “We had one unearned run we gave up all day and a handful of hits. It’s just Caden and Kolson just being hot throwers and we’re riding their arms for now for sure.”
Looking ahead, Monte takes on a familiar opponent in the state semis as they’ll face No. 5 Seton Catholic at 7 p.m. on Friday at Joe Martin Stadium in Bellingham.
The Bulldogs beat the Cougars 4-0 in the district-championship game on May 16.
The winner of that game will face the winner of the other state semifinal between No. 11 King’s and No. 10 Overlake-Bear Creek in the championship game at 7 p.m. on Saturday in Bellingham.
The losers of both state semifinals face off in the third-fourth place game at 1 p.m. on Saturday.
~~~
CW-LCA 000 000 0 – 0 1 1
Montesano 010 110 x – 3 5 0
WP: Ca. Grubb (7 IP, 0R, H, 3BB, 7K). LP: Garcia II (6 IP, 3R, 2ER, 5H, 2BB, 6K).
Leading hitters: CW-LCA – Colbert (1-2). Montesano – Ames (1-2, HR, R, RBI); Kjesbu (1-2, R, RBI); Crites (1-3, R); Timmons (1-3); Ca. Grubb (1-3).
~~~
1A STATE FIRST ROUND
Montesano 10, Royal 1
Backed by a consistent offense and stellar pitching, Montesano advanced in the 1A State Tournament with a 10-1 first-round victory over Royal on Saturday at Olympic Stadium in Hoquiam.
The Bulldogs took the lead when senior outfielder Mason Fry singled to drive in junior Caden Grubb in the bottom of the second inning.
Later in the frame, Monte first baseman Kole Kjesbu scored on a sacrifice fly by second baseman Zach Timmons for a 2-0 lead.
Royal rallied for a run in the top of the third on a rare Montesano defensive error to cut the Bulldogs’ lead in half.
Monte’s offense pulled away with eight runs over the final three innings of play.
The Bulldogs scored three in the fourth, highlighted by RBI singles from junior twin brothers Colton and Caden Grubb followed by four in the fifth on a bases-loaded walk to Colton Grubb, an RBI single by shortstop Toren Crites, a Caden Grubb sacrifice fly, and a run-scoring single by Kole Kjesbu.
Monte added a run in the sixth when pitcher Kolson Hendrickson scored on a fly ball to center by Tyson Perry.
Hendrickson allowed one unearned run on one hit with three walks and 10 strikeouts in six innings pitched.
Monte reliever Damon Bird retired the side in order in the seventh to send the Bulldogs to the state quarterfinal round.
Nine different Bulldogs had a base hit in the game, led by Timmons and Caden Grubb with two hits apiece.
Royal 001 000 0 – 1 1 2
Montesano 020 341 x – 10 11 2
WP: Hendrickson (6 IP, R, 0ER, H, 3BB, 10K). LP: Weeks (4 IP, 5R, 3ER, 5H, 5BB, 4K).
Leading hitters: Royal – Meseberg (1-2). Montesano – Timmons (2-3, 2R, RBI, SF); Ca. Grubb (2-3, R, 2RBI, SF); Hendrickson (1-2, 3B, R); Perry (1-4, R, RBI, SF); Co. Grubb (1-1, R, 2RBI, 3BB, 2SB); Crites (1-3, RBI, SB); Kjesbu (1-3, R, RBI); Fry (1-4, RBI); Daniels (1-2, 2R).
~~~
2B STATE FIRST ROUND
Northwest Christian (Colbert) 8, Pe Ell-Willapa Valley 4
Pe Ell-Willapa Valley’s season ended with an 8-4 loss to Northwest Christian (Colbert) in the first round of the 2B State Tournament on Saturday in Colbert.
The Titans (16-8) held an early lead over the Crusaders (21-3) with a run on an RBI single by catcher/third baseman Kaeden Blain in the top of the first and a run on an RBI double by first baseman Brody Magruder, who later scored on a passed ball to take a 3-0 lead in the second.
But NWC took the lead for good with five runs in the bottom of the second on five hits – including an RBI double by Drew Bevan – and an error.
PWV got to within a run when right fielder Liam Lennox singled to score pitcher/shortstop Mauricio Morales in the top of the third, but the Titans were held scoreless over the last four innings of the game while NWC added three insurance runs over the fifth and sixth innings to end the Titans’ season.
Morales took the loss while Max Jarvis (4 IP, 3R, 2ER, 5H, 2BB, 6K) threw four innings of relief for PWV.
PWV 121 000 0 – 4 6 3
NWC 050 012 x – 8 11 2
WP: Hollister (4 IP, 4R, 4ER, 6H, 5BB, 6K). Jarvis (4 IP, 3R, 2ER, 5H, 2BB, 6K).
Leading hitters: PWV – Lennox (2-2, RBI); Magruder (1-2, 2B, R, RBI); Blain (1-3, RBI, 2SB); Clements (1-3, R, SB); Wetterauer (1-3, R); Morales (0-3, R). NWC – Bevan (2-4, 2B, R, 2RBI, SB); C. Mortlock (2-4, RBI); P. Mortlock (2-3, 2R, RBI); Hollister (2-3, R, RBI); Roth (1-4, RBI); McConnell (1-2, R); Duff (1-4, 2R, RBI); Young (0-3, R, RBI).
