Extra innings: Riley O’Brien turns confidence into no-hitters

Shorewood pitcher Riley O'Brien

(From our news partner, The Seattle Times)

SHOREWOOD: NO-HITTERS AND PERFECTION

There were times last year when Shorewood pitcher Riley O’Brien would give up a walk and then couldn’t get out of his own head. He would start over thinking and second-guessing himself, and he would struggle to get out of those situations. 

“I would pitch scared,” O’Brien said. 

And yet, in a story that could serve as a case study for the development of high-school athletes, O’Brien pulled off a 180-degree turn this year, his senior season. How about this for results: In five starts – and six total appearances – O’Brien is 4-0. Better: He has yet to allow an earned run in 19 1/3 innings pitched.

Read the rest of the Seattle Times story here

O’Brien’s teammate Sam Boone was on the mound Tuesday, when Shorewood improved its Western Conference 3A record to 9-0 (12-0 overall) with an 8-2 victory at Mountlake Terrace (2-6, 4-6).

Boone struck out 9 batters and gave up 7 hits and 1 earned run in pitching the full 7 innings. Steffen Torgersen hit 2 for 4, with a double, a triple and 3 RBI. Cameron Sterne hit 2 for 3, with 1 RBI and 3 runs scored.

The Thunderbirds played host to Mountlake Terrace at 4pm Wednesday at Meridian Park Fields in the second game of a series that concludes Friday at Mountlake Terrace.

Junior varsity teams from the two schools played at 4pm Wednesday at Mountlake Terrace, after the Shorewood JVs (9-0, 11-0) defeated Mountlake Terrace (4-3. 5-5) by a 9-5 score Tuesday at Meridian Park.