Momentum is a sporting term used to describe a team on the rise. For a Stadium Tiger squad that started the season 1-4 - including 0-4 in Narrows League play - the Tigers have been on a tear of late, and it continued in the Narrows League tournament.

With their 9-4 victory over Bellarmine May 2, the Tigers advanced to play the hard-hitting Central Kitsap Cougars May 3 at Heidelberg Park with the No. 3 and 4 seeds to the West Central District at stake. Behind the complete game, four hit gem from pitcher Seth Timpke, the Tigers defeated Central Kitsap by a score of 4-3 to claim the No. 3 seed to the West Central District playoffs May 10.

“We’ve battled injuries early in the season and had other problems, but we’ve stayed with it and came together as a team. I’m very proud of these guys,” said Stadium coach Chuck Peterson describing his veteran squad.

Timpke struggled with his control early as Central Kitsap scored all of its runs in the first three innings. The Tigers, though, would tie it in the bottom of the first when Jay Skilton led off with a double, and he moved to third when Jake Schumacher flew out to right and Kevin Meyers, on a 2-2 pitch, lifted a sacrifice fly to left to score Skilton to tie it at one.

Timpke settled into a groove in the fourth inning and allowed only three Cougar base runners the rest of the way - including two on errors. The Tigers got back into the game in the fourth inning when Jake Voelpel delivered a clutch two out single to score Anthony McCarthy, and to cut the Central lead to 3-2.

Stadium tied the game up in the fifth when, with one out and Jay Skilton on third, Tony Rossetto hit a fly out deep to right to score Skilton to tie it at three.

With Timpke in complete control on the mound for the Tigers, they took the lead for the first time in the game in the seventh. With Kevin Meyers on second with two outs, McCarthy drilled a one-strike pitch into the hole between third and short into left field to score Meyers. That gave Stadium a 4-3 lead into the bottom of the seventh.

Timpke set down Central Kitsap in order, and when Daniel Zylstra grounded out to Meyers at second to end it, the Tiger bench poured onto the field to celebrate a hard earned 4-3 win.

“My fastball started to click in the middle innings, I couldn’t find my control early on against a real good hitting club in Central Kitsap and hopefully we can carry these wins into district next week,” Timpke said.

By going 13-2 in their last 15 games, the Tigers were ready to think about facing the No. 7 seed from the SPSL, the Curtis Vikings May 10 at Heritage Park in Puyallup, needing 2 wins to claim a state berth.