‘Lots of belief. Lots of grit’: Yelm baseball team makes history with playoff victory over Auburn Riverside

Wyatt Robison, senior pitcher and outfielder for the Yelm Tornados, was a fifth grade student the last time Yelm High School’s baseball team made the playoffs in 2018.

In his first ever playoff game — a contest that also had the potential to be his last — Robison rose to the occasion and helped propel the Tornados to a 5-4 victory over Auburn Riverside on Tuesday, May 13, in a District 3/4 4A baseball tournament matchup.

Trailing 4-2 in the top of the fifth inning with the bases loaded, Robison smoked a ball to deep right-center field and drove in three runners — Quinten Lumis, Lincoln Ramirez and Parker Myers — to give the Tornados a 5-4 advantage.

“There was a lot of mental toughness today,” Yelm’s head coach Dakota Hill said after the district playoff game. “I told the boys that Wyatt didn’t have his favorite outing of the year, but came back and put up a three-run double. It was everybody. It was fantastic baseball today.”

The senior’s heroic go-ahead double didn’t come without any hiccups along the way, as Robison was the Tornados starting pitcher. He pitched just three innings and allowed four earned runs, striking out two Auburn Riverside batters in the outing.

Junior relief pitcher Quillen Hadley provided some much needed support for Robison and the Tornados on the mound. He entered the contest in the fourth inning and quickly got Yelm’s defense off the field with a popup and back-to-back strikeouts.

Hadley, an unsung hero in the Tornados’ district playoff win, would finish the contest on the mound for Yelm, allowing just one hit across his four innings pitched.

“Quillen has been fantastic the back half of the year. Lights out. Making the move from a starting position to the relief, it’s been something different,” Hill said. “He’s been fantastic. Lots of good (velocity). He’s developed a curveball. It’s been really good for Quillen, and I’m happy for him. He works his butt off.”

Hill was proud of his team for hanging in the contest despite being down 4-1 beyond the midway point.

“We didn’t ride the wave too much emotionally, but we were pretty consistent,” Hill said. “Lots of belief. Lots of grit.”

Yelm’s batters, with the vocal support of the team’s dugout, came alive in the top of the fifth inning when seniors Colby Ward and Jackson Ford strung together back-to-back singles. After junior outfielder Wesley Thompson struck out, junior infielder Lincoln Ramirez blooped a single into shallow center to load the bases.

Following senior Barrett Schnetz’s strikeout, the pressure was on for junior infielder Parker Myers, who approached the plate with bases loaded and two outs. Myers cut Yelm’s deficit to two runs after he singled and Ward scored, setting the scene for Robison’s big moment.

“You’re going to hear me say it a lot: stack quality at-bats. If you get the first guy on, no matter what, that’s a quality at-bat,” Hill said. “I believe in (batters) one through nine. Anybody can get it done with runners in scoring position. It was a fantastic inning, and we did what we preached. It was nice to see.”

Hill was also quick to praise his dugout for his players’ energy throughout the contest. As loud as the Tornados’ bats were in the fifth inning, the cheering and chants from Yelm’s dugout were even louder.

“It’s all belief. When you have Max Gonzalez in there yelling like it’s a professional wrestling match, that does something to you,” Hill said. “We’ve come back from bigger before. We played some tough teams, and we came back and battled. The belief has been fantastic.”

The Tornados’ District 3/4 4A Baseball Tournament run ended in an SPSL matchup against the Emerald Ridge Jaguars on Wednesday, May 13. Emerald Ridge defeated Yelm 12-0.

Following the conclusion of the team’s season, Hill told the Nisqually Valley News he was proud of his Tornados’ attitude and effort throughout the year.

“I think we had a great season, and I’m proud of the growth made from the previous season. I think the system and culture of hard work and being in the weight room showed up in the results,” Hill said. “The boys should be proud.”