Summit senior Alex Via was on twice for the Storm and recorded the final out on the mound as well (Jon Olson)

KEIZER – Summit did all the little things right on Saturday evening at Roto-Rooter Park in Keizer.

Get ‘em on, get ‘em over, get ‘em in?

Check!

Induce harmless ground balls on the slow artificial turf infield and soaring pop ups?

Check and check!

The result was a 5-1 decision over Canby for the 5A state title at the OSAA / OnPoint Community Credit Union 5A Baseball State Championships and the first baseball state title for Summit since 2016.

The win also marked the 100th state championship victory in the history of the school when considering all sports.

“I know everyone at home is pretty excited, said senior Carter Hess, the winning pitcher.

The line score shows the Summit offense with five runs on nine hits, but the Storm did not score in traditional ways.

The first run came on a leadoff single, advancement to second on a failed pickoff, ground ball out to move the runner to third and a sacrifice fly.

The second run was the product of a walk and wild pitch, followed by two ground ball outs, the second of which drove in the runner from third. The third run, scored in the same inning, resulted from a bunt single, two walks and a hit by pitch with the bases loaded.

The fourth run scored thanks to an infield single with two outs, another hit batsman and a seeing-eye single through the hole.

The final run came home when, with the bases loaded and one out after two hits and a walk, Canby’s first baseman stepped on first after a ground ball took him to the bag. That took the force at home away and his throw to the plate, which would have been good enough to force the Summit runner, was too late when a tag was necessary to record the out.

“Get ‘em on, get ‘em over, get ‘em in…that was our game plan,” said Summit head coach Aaron Boehm.  “We wanted to win every inning.”

Quality at-bats where you see a lot of pitches.

Be a bulldog with two strikes on you.

“That was our approach today and the kids executed it,” Boehm said. “I’m very proud of that. This is not the kind of team, especially in this ballpark, where you’re going to hit a lot of long balls. When you get a little momentum, you put more pressure on the other team. That was all part of our game plan.”

Summit’s game plan on the mound also meant doing the little things right. With strikeout artist Alex Via available only for 25 pitches, the Storm opted for the tandem of sophomore Riley Via and senior Carter Hess. They threw strikes and induced a lot of weak contact, recording 18 outs by means other than the strike out. Summit’s defense was flawless on the evening.

“Our plan was to pitch to contact,” Boehm said. “We knew if we got them to put the ball on the ground we would make plays. We wanted our defense to be active. Pitching to contact engages the defense.”

Summit (23-6), the fifth seed in 5A, got the scoring started as the visiting team in the top of the first. Leadoff hitter Nolan Boehm singled to right off of Canby starter Brady Ackerman and moved to second when Ackerman’s pickoff attempt scooted by 1B Colby Herren. Alex Via’s ground ball moved Boehm to third and he scored on Slater DeBrun’s sacrifice fly to right.

Canby (25-6), the third overall seed, had a chance to match Summit’s run in the bottom of the frame, when Jack Brauckmiller was hit by a pitch and Ackerman singled past third to put two on with one out. One out later, Herren laced a foul ball just wide of first base before fouling out to end the threat.

Summit looked to add to its lead in the second when an error, soft single to right and sacrifice bunt put Storm runners on second and third with one away. Ackerman, however, bore down and induced a foul out before catching Boehm looking to escape unharmed.

Another Summit threat in the third, the result of a tomahawked double by Jackson Parker on an 0-2 count and a wild pitch; went by the wayside when Ackerman struck out Hess on a 3-2 curve ball.

Canby, with 16 seniors on its 18-player roster, knotted the score with a run in the bottom of the third. Brauckmiller, a 6-6 sophomore and multi-sport star, drew a one-out walk and scored on a hit-and-run double by Ackerman to the right-center field gap. Riley Via squelched any additional scoring by getting two ground ball outs to shortstop Charlie Wiscovich.

Summit went on top for good with two runs in the top of the fourth. Preston Sexson led off the frame with a walk and moved to second on a wild pitch. Two productive ground ball outs followed, the second of which, by Riley Via, plated the first run. Summit added one more in the inning thanks to a two-out rally that began with a perfect bunt single by Wiscovich and a stolen base. Boehm and Alex Via both walked, ending Ackerman’s night on the mound. Lefty reliever Brady Froyd plunked lefty DeBrun with his second pitch, forcing in Wiscovich, and giving Summit a 3-1 lead.

Hess came on for Riley Via in the bottom of the fourth and he was just as effective. Over three innings, he fanned only one, but allowed only one hit and one walk. It’s hard to score without runners on base.

Hess, who is normally a starter, said that he embraced the relief concept during Summit’s postseason run.

“The last couple of weeks I’ve done it and I have gained confidence doing it,” he explained. “I went out there not for myself but for my team. I feel like that helped me get through it and helped us win a state championship.”

Summit added single runs in the top of the sixth and seventh innings to extend its advantage to 5-1.

“We thought we might be able to break away with a big inning but that never happened,” Coach Boehm said.

The sixth inning threat started with Alex Via’s infield single. DeBrun was then hit for the second time in the game, moving Alex Via to second, and he scored on Parker’s third hit of the game, a single between third and short.

Summit added insurance in the seventh thanks to hits from Tanner McIntyre and Riley Via and a Wiscovich walk, which loaded the bases, leading to Boehm’s RBI grounder to first.

Hess went back out for Summit in the seventh looking to nail down the championship. He struck out the first two he faced, then ran into trouble when Brauckmiller and Ackerman singled back-to-back. Ackerman’s hit was his fourth in as many plate appearances. Canby had just six hits total.

Alex Via was summoned to get the last out. Hew didn’t get the strike out he is known for, but the weak grounder to Boehm at second proved just as effective.

“Winning is unbelievably special,” said Hess, one of eight seniors who participated in a graduation ceremony, complete with gap and gown, after the game. “We didn’t win league, which is crazy. We wanted to prove to everybody that we had what it took.”

“You have to give them credit,” said Canby head coach J.J. Stolsig. “They just played better, pitched better and had a few hits when they needed them. That had a few that weren’t hit hard and found eyes. That didn’t happen for us. Unfortunately, that’s baseball.”

Stolsig, whose team lost to West Linn in the 6A championship game in 2022, made it back with a new crew this year, which included those 16 seniors.

“I love these guys,” he said, moments before addressing his team. “It’s going to be hard to say goodbye. These guys worked so hard and they put us back here.”