Gonzaga Prep baffled by Sumner sophomore in 7-0 loss in 4A title game; Northwest Christian settles for fourth in 2B | State baseball

May 30-EVERETT - If Sumner sophomore left-handed starting pitcher Brody Santman was nervous starting a state championship game, he certainly didn't show it.

Santman struck out 10 over six shutout innings - allowing just two hits and three walks - and the second-seeded Spartans shut out the fifth-seeded Gonzaga Prep Bullpups 7-0 in the State 4A championship game at Funko Field in Everett on Saturday.

Sumner junior Bryce Carl went 3-for-3 with four RBIs.

G-Prep senior Jack Pierce accounted for two of the Bullpups' three hits.

"We didn't do what we wanted to do today, but this journey, man, it was a great ride with these boys," senior Jonah Keller said. "Between football, baseball, track, everything I've been on, it's been a journey. I'm definitely gonna miss this."

"We were the underdogs coming in, but I think people didn't want to play us," Gonzaga Prep coach Brian Munhall said. "Unfortunately, we just got beat today, and that's OK. That's baseball, and a good arm gives you trouble."

It was the first trip to the state championship game in program history for Gonzaga Prep (23-5), which had won nine games in a row leading into it - including a pair of wins over top-seeded Richland.

The Bullpups were trying to become the first Greater Spokane League to win a state baseball title since the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association sanctioned the state tournament in 1973.

"We had a great run, we did everything right," GSL MVP Anthony Karis said. "I mean, (Sumner) deserved it. They played great. That's a great team. Obviously, it didn't end the way we wanted, but I'm so proud of these boys. These four years have been crazy."

"I'm just so proud of these guys," Munhall said. "It's gonna sting for a little bit, but they're gonna realize what they've accomplished, and at some point they're gonna reflect on everything and realize that they were trendsetters and did the first thing in school history."

Most of Munhall's team also played for the football team that reached a state quarterfinal or the basketball team that fell in the state title game.

"We've worked pretty hard to be a baseball school for a lot of years," Munhall said. "I mean, we just haven't got it to this scale. We could chase the championships in Spokane and GSL titles and get into the regionals, but the state round has been the one that's eluded us, and you just can't teach experience."

"Basketball, we had a bunch of seniors, I know football had a bunch of seniors, we had 10 seniors for this group," senior Jackson Mott said. "I mean, obviously this is the farthest a baseball team for Gonzaga Prep has ever gone, and how cool is that? Yeah, we didn't win, but I mean, we made history."

Sumner (23-4) started the scoring in the bottom of the first. Santman drew a leadoff walk, stole second and scored on a double by Jake Miller. Carl followed with an opposite field double into the right field corner to plate Miller and make it 2-0.

Wilson picked up two strikeouts in the frame but needed 20 pitches to get there.

With two down in the third, Miller hit a routine popup, but left fielder Dylan Croall and Keller watched it fall between them. Sumner made it hurt, as Carl ripped a single to center to make it 3-0.

The damage could have been worse, but Wilson picked off Carl to end the inning.

Sumner's Xander Cypher hit a one-out triple off the wall in left center in the fourth, and Liam Ferguson followed with an RBI single for a 4-0 lead.

G-Prep found its first hit of the game with two down in the fifth, when Pierce barely beat out a high hopper to short. But he was stranded there when Santman racked up his ninth strikeout of the game to keep the Pups scoreless.

"(Santman) threw strikes, he got us to chase, he did his job," Karis said. "I mean, can't do anything but applaud him."

The Spartans broke it open in the fifth. With one down, Wyatt Plyler - a Wake Forest pitching commit - and Miller drew walks, then Carl's sinking liner to center fell just in front of a sliding Keller and the ball skidded by him for a two-run double.

Carl took third on a wild pitch and with two down Cypher singled him in to make it 7-0 - ending Wilson's outing.

The senior ended up allowing seven runs on nine hits and three walks with four strikeouts.

Karis clubbed a one-out double off the top of the wall in the sixth, and with two down Mott walked to put runners at the corners. But Keller's grounder to second was handled by Miller and the shutout continued.

Cypher came in for Santman and struck out three in a scoreless seventh to seal the Spartans' championship.

"I know we didn't win it, but I love these boys," Karis said, "and that's more important to me than winning the state championship."

Munhall will now watch his 10 seniors graduate in Gonzaga Prep's commencement ceremony on Sunday.

"They'll be impossible to replace, and some of the relationships go so deep with some of these seniors," Munhall said. "As they walk across the stage tomorrow, it's going to be that opportunity to start their next phase. And even though this chapter closes, what's next for them is going to be so much more, and so exciting."

In the third-place game, top-seeded Richland (25-3) edged sixth-seeded Kamiakin (22-7) 4-3. Jaren Lee knocked in runs with a single and sacrifice fly for Richland.

2B

(10) Toutle Lake 6, (4) Northwest Christian 3: Ryan Kilponen hit a two-run double as part of a four-run sixth inning, and the Ducks (21-7) beat the Crusaders (21-5) in the state third-place game at Carlon Park in Selah.

Caden Hollister and Adin Spuler drove in runs for NWC.

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This story was originally published May 30, 2026 at 11:42 PM.