WHITE SALMON — Columbia High School edged visiting Hoquiam, 4-3, on May 9 to advance to the 2026 WIAA District 4 baseball playoffs.
The Bruins (8-12 overall), led by head Coach William Gross, finished in fifth place in the Trico League, earning a spot in the district play-in game opposite the Grizzlies (3-15), the No. 4 team from the Evergreen Conference.
“This team is one that I am super proud of,” said Gross. “We lost nine seniors last year, and even with that experience lost, we have already made it deeper into the season with a much younger team. This team has proven to be able to compete with every team in our Trico League, and now they have done something that has not been done since 2022, which is clinch a spot in the district playoffs. I am excited to see where this next week takes us.”
Kellen Olson got the start on the mound for the Bruins, going 6 2/3 innings, giving up three runs (all of them unearned), striking out five and walking one.
“Kellen has continued to get better with every start on the mound,” said Gross. “He has worked very hard to get to the point he is at now and has become our ace during the second half of the season. I am very proud of his growth, determination, and development as a player. With the tying run on second, Garrick Sauter came in with two outs in the seventh inning to complete the save in a high-pressure situation.”
On offense, Ryder Graves, Trenton Boydston, and Kellen Olson led the way. Graves was 2-for-3 with an RBI and a walk from the leadoff spot. Boydston hit a two-out RBI double in the fourth inning, and Olson went 2-for-4 with an RBI.
With the play-in win, Columbia will play a 4 p.m. game May 11 at the Trico’s regular-season champion, Seton Catholic (17-4). The game is scheduled in Vancouver at Harmony Sports Complex.
Seton swept the two-game series this season with Columbia, but the 3-2 score in the second game (at Seton on April 23) suggests the teams are a bit closer than the 14-1 first-game result suggests. Seton is ranked fifth in the WIAA Class 1A RPI rankings.
The eight-team district playoff first round — all games on May 11 — includes: King’s Way (9-10) at No. 1-ranked Montesano (21-0), Elma (9-9) at La Center (15-5), Castle Rock (12-7) at Rochester (12-9), and the Columbia at Seton contest.
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