Down 6-2 in the 7th, Kentlake stages movie-like comeback to win 3A state title
The speech in the dugout felt like something out of a movie. Friday Night Lights. The Miracle on Ice. Remember the Titans.
Kentlake trailed Eastside Catholic 6-2 heading to the bottom of the seventh inning of the Class 3A state championship game at Everett Memorial Stadium on Saturday.
Eastside Catholic was three outs away from winning. Kentlake coach Mike Suguro gathered his team.
“I asked them, ‘Do you believe that we can win this game?’” he told The News Tribune after the game. “Cause I, (expletive), know I do.”
Feel free to fill in the colorful language blank. Whether it was the fiery speech or perhaps divine intervention, something clicked.
Christopher Moore hit a double, driving in a run and making it 6-3. Then Matthew Ledbetter tripled on a line drive to right field, scoring two more and making it 6-5. A Tucker Bartlett sacrifice fly tied the game at 6-6 and forced extra innings.
In the eighth inning, Eastside Catholic intentionally walked Christopher Moore, bringing Ledbetter up again. As it turned out, that was a mistake. Ledbetter singled into left field, scoring Lincoln Moore and winning the game, 7-6. Scenes.
“It’s an amazing feeling, especially after our best player getting walked,” Ledbetter said. “Definitely trying to go out and prove to them that they shouldn’t have walked him and I’m just as much of a threat. Being in that moment, try to slow down the game and that’s what I did. I did what I needed to do.”
Suguro, the Kentlake coach, calls him “Matty Ice.” The nickname is certainly deserved. In fact, the same scenario played out a day earlier in Kentlake’s semifinal win over O’Dea. O’Dea walked Moore and Ledbetter delivered a clutch RBI hit.
“We walk C. Moore all the time in practice to get to him, because we know that’s gonna happen,” Suguro said. “I know C. Moore gets mad in practice, but Matthew has definitely benefited from it.”
The Falcons are state champions, the program’s first state title.
“That feels amazing, especially after it being 6-2,” Ledbetter said. “We’ve never won state and it’s my senior year, it’s amazing. It’s an incredible team we have and I’m so grateful that we won.”
The Kentlake players and their families stayed on the field long after the game ended. Who could blame them?
This story was originally published May 30, 2026 at 10:55 PM with the headline "Down 6-2 in the 7th, Kentlake stages movie-like comeback to win 3A state title."
