The KingCo title was up for grabs Monday, May 5 at Bellevue High School, with Mercer Island and Bellevue heading into the regular season finale with identical 10-3 conference records.

Celebrating its Senior Night amidst the rain, Bellevue scored five runs in the first three innings to jump out to an early 5-1 lead. After Mercer Island cut the deficit to one in the game’s final inning, Bellevue’s Ruric Ellings shut the door on the Islanders in his relief appearance, securing a 5-4 win and earning KingCo’s top seed for the Wolverines heading into tournament play. Jake Stenberg went 2-4 with a double, and Brandon Lawler went 2-3 with a double, scoring a run while batting in two more.

Finishing KingCo competition with a record of 10-4 and an overall record of 12-7, Mercer Island will head into postseason play as KingCo’s second seed. The Islanders will face the winner of Thursday’s first-round matchup between the third- and sixth-seeded teams Saturday, May 10 at Bannerwood Park in Bellevue.