Ledbetter, Kentlake sink Gig Harbor in 3A state baseball quarterfinals
“I was definitely attacking better with the slider to get them off-balance,” Ledbetter said. “Those first three (innings), I was locked in.”
Mike Suguro and the Kentlake Baseball coaching staff often joke that right-hander Matthew Ledbetter is their “mini George Kirby. ” Sure, it’s a lofty comparison to the Seattle Mariners veteran, but the similarities are there. Ledbetter’s reputation is that of a strike-thrower, tallying eight walks to 52 strikeouts in his first nine appearances this spring.
He attacks the strike zone early and works ahead. Once his fastball is established, a quality slider keeps opponents off-guard. “That’s just Matthew,” Suguro, Kentlake’s head coach, told The News Tribune.
“He’s just been pitching his tail off. ” Ledbetter put all of the above on display facing Gig Harbor in the Class 3A state quarterfinals Saturday afternoon at Lincoln High School. The 6-foot-2 senior cruised through three scoreless innings, enough time for Kentlake to build a four-run lead.
When the Tides rallied to tie the game in the fourth, Ledbetter posted a scoreless fifth when he needed it most. The Falcons starter threw five solid frames, second baseman Jacob Lawrence delivered a go-ahead single in the sixth inning, and Kentlake knocked off Gig Harbor, 7-4, to reach the state’s ‘Final Four’ for the first time since 2017. “I’ve been with this group for four years and all of the little things in practice all showed in this game today,” Ledbetter said.
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