Gleed pitches Bothell past Inglemoor | Prep baseball

Published 9:40 pm Friday, April 22, 2016

Whether by his goofy delivery or his mental toughness, Quinn Gleed got it done for the Bothell High baseball team as the Cougars handed Inglemoor a 2-0 KingCo League loss on Friday in Kenmore.

Gleed gave up only two hits, striking out three batters and walking one in a complete-game shutout for Bothell (9-7 overall, 7-6) as the Cougars look to stay in the hunt for a good seed in the league playoffs.

The Vikings (3-13, 1-12) rarely found a big enough gap, and only managed multiple baserunners in a single inning on one occasion.

“It’s a little bit deceptive, the way he throws,” said Bothell coach Paul Moody of Gleed’s delivery, which features a high glove hand and a wide, low stride. “It’s a little bit old-school, almost. He kind of brings the ball out of nowhere, and he can change speeds well. Most kids can’t control a fastball and then slow the ball that far down like when he throws his curve and his changeup.”

Gleed delivered 11 groundouts, and only once did Inglemoor get more than one runner on base in a single inning.

The Vikings really threatened Gleed just once.

Adding to Brady Ponti’s score on a wild pitch from the first inning, Derek Lohr made it 2-0 on an RBI single to center field in the top of the frame. Inglemoor responded with a single from Sean Mulcare and a bouncing grounder from Jake Watkins that forced an error.

Big strikeout from Gleed to strand a pair of Inglemoor runners. Shutout bid continues. pic.twitter.com/ugmCw4ETHe

— John William Howard (@JowardHoward) April 23, 2016

The Vikings sacrificed a batter to put runners on second and third with two outs, but Gleed came up with a big strikeout to end the threat.

That high glove arm is a biproduct of a tennis ball and a few lazy hours in which Gleed would try to emulate different pitchers. Tim Lincecum was a favorite, and so his style was adopted.

“It’s never like a coach told me to, I just started doing it and it’s deceptive, so I like it,” Gleed said. “I’ve had guys tell me … that the arm, it hides the ball well and it kind of makes it jump out a little faster than it actually is.”

As it turns out, the Cougars needed every once of Gleed’s shutout. Bothell has been held to two runs or less only three times in the month of April, and been hitting well over the last week.

It was the third straight shutout for Inglemoor, but the sixth consecutive game in which the Vikings have held teams to less than three runs.

“The pitching staff has been pretty much our strength most of the year, and then our defense made some huge strides throughout the year with Sean Mulcare being put in at shortstop,” Inglemoor coach Brad Jesernig said. “That’s something that really is going to anchor our defense. That, really, is the only reason we’re in these games: because of our defense. We’ve just got to get it going offensively.”

Bothell and Inglemoor couldn’t be more different in terms of their outlook on the remainder of the season.

The Vikings would need to win all four of their remaining games to have a chance at breaking into the top six in the standings making the KingCo Playoffs, beginning with a tough game against Issaquah on Monday, April 25.

The Cougars, on the other hand, sit fourth in the KingCo 4A standings and could finish as high as third if the chips fall the right way. First or second aren’t all that likely, Moody said, but the Cougars are aiming for a good game to start the KingCo 4A baseball tournament on Saturday, May 7 at Bannerwood Sports Park in Bellevue.

Shaking off two tough losses coming in — 6-5 to Newport and 7-6 to Redmond — should definitely help over the final four games.

“We’ve come off two straight nail-biting losses, and it felt good to get one, especially against a school rival while we’re trying to get into the playoffs,” Gleed said. “It’s good to get this win.”

Connor Portugal got the start for Inglemoor, going fiveinnings with three hits, two strikeouts and five walks. Tyler Williams closed the game with three hits and one strikeout.

Next, Bothell is scheduled to play Issaquah at 6 p.m. on Monday, April 25 at Bothell High School.