Summit relies on small ball to win Class 5A baseball state championship against Canby

KEIZER—Contrary to what their name might suggest, the Storm of Summit High didn’t need to bring the thunder at the plate to claim their first state baseball title in nearly a decade.

The No. 5-seeded team from Bend defeated Canby 5-1 in Saturday night’s OSAA Class 5A final before an overwhelmingly pro-Cougars full house at newly-named Roto-Rooter Stadium. Despite garnering hits in every inning except the fifth — and racking up nine overall — Summit triumphed not with huge swings of the bat in clutch situations or even by stringing together one hit after another.

Rather, the Storm scratched out runs in steady, workmanlike fashion, repeatedly getting runners in position to score or bringing them home with fielder’s choices, walks with runners on first or the bases loaded, and sacrifice flies.

It wasn’t the stuff of jaw-dropping highlight reel footage, but it got Summit (23-6) its first state championship since 2016.

“That’s what this team does,” said Storm coach Aaron Boehm, sopping wet from a celebratory postgame ice bath courtesy of his players. “We knew that in this ballpark, we weren’t going to hit a lot of home runs, but we were going to hit a lot of balls and repeatedly put the ball in play.

“Get ’em on, get ’em over, get ’em in. That was our game plan. That was our approach, and our guys executed it.”

Perhaps no Summit hitter exemplified that approach better than Slater De Brun. The senior center fielder went hitless but drove in two of the Storm’s five runs. One came on a sacrifice fly in the top of the first inning and the other after getting hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the third.

Junior left fielder Jackson Parker led Summit with three hits, including an RBI single in the sixth inning that widened the Storm’s lead to 4-1. He also had Summit’s only extra-base hit, a third-inning double down the left-field line.

Senior catcher/third baseman Tanner McIntyre had two hits and scored the Storm’s final run.

Alexander Via and fellow senior Nolan Boehm each had one hit and scored once for the Storm, as did shortstop Charlie Wiscovich. Boehm also drove in a run grounding into a fielder’s choice in the seventh inning.

Summit’s pitching and defense were just as steady as its hitters were. With their defense playing errorless ball behind them, Storm pitchers Riley Via, Carter Hess, and Alexander Via collected just three strikeouts between them — all of them belonging to Hess, who tossed 3.2 scoreless innings to earn the win after entering the game in the fourth inning — but also only walked three and hit one batter.

“We wanted to pitch to contact and keep our defense engaged,” Aaron Boehm said.

In ending its state championship drought, Summit denied Canby its first-ever state title. The Cougars (25-6) have appeared in just two state championship games in school history, the last one being the Class 6A title game in 2022.

Before that, Canby’s last title-game appearance came in 1960.

“Obviously, we’d like to win, but that did not work out for us tonight,” Cougars coach J.J. Stolsig said. “But our kids have a ton of love for each other, which is awesome.”

Senior pitcher/third baseman Brady Ackerman led Canby offensively, collecting four of the Cougars’ six hits and driving in their only run in the bottom of the third inning. Sophomore center fielder Jack Brauckmiller scored that run, tying the game 1-1 after reaching on a double.

Summit promptly moved ahead to stay in the top of the fourth. Senior first baseman Preston Sexson led off the frame with a walk, advanced to second on a wild pitch, and ultimately scored when Riley Via grounded into a fielder’s choice.

Wascovich added to the Storm’s lead later in the fourth after reaching on a two-out single. After the next two batters each walked, the sophomore came home when De Brun was hit by a pitch.

Summit then pushed across one run apiece in the sixth and seventh innings to put the game all but out of reach.

Despite trailing 5-1 in the seventh, Canby showed signs of life when it was down to its last out. Brauckmiller and Ackerman connected for back-to-back singles and later moved into scoring position on a wild pitch. However, Alexander Via — who has committed to play for the University of Portland next spring — got the final batter to ground out to Nolan Boehm at second base to end the game.

“That’s the way our guys are,” Stolsig said. “They’re not going to back down because they have love for the next guy.”

Hess said virtually the same thing about his team.

“I can’t even describe winning a state championship,” the senior right-hander said while hurriedly donning a green cap and gown for a special postgame, on-field graduation ceremony coordinated by Summit principal Donna Servignat. He and the Storm’s other seniors had to miss their regular graduation ceremony to play for the state title.

“To be able to have this moment with my best friends is awesome,” Hess said.

That goes for Aaron Boehm, too. The Storm’s skipper has coached eight players on his team at multiple levels of baseball — a few of them since T-ball.

“To win a state championship and have eight young men graduating on this field is like winning the World Series and the Super Bowl in the same night,” Aaron Boehm said. “As a father and a coach, I’m thrilled.”

More Oregon high school sports

• Ridgeview takes advantage of errors, rolls past Thurston for Class 5A softball state championship

• Pendleton flies past Marist Catholic for Class 4A baseball state title

• Sherwood blows ahead late, bests North Medford for Class 6A softball state championship

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