Spartans hang tough, but lose in eight innings.

In a game that head coach Jayson Gore called a “war” and “the best game of the year” the Bainbridge baseball team lost 4-3 to Issaquah Tuesday in a winner to state game at Bannerwood Park in Bellevue.

The Spartans had a 3-2 lead going into the seventh, but made several mistakes that cost them the game.

“It was the best ball we’ve played all year,” Gore said, describing both teams as mirror images of each other. “We were with them pitch for pitch. We just didn’t get it done.”

Kauika Peleti scored the first run for the Spartans when he doubled and eventually scored on a balk in the second inning.

In the third, Colin Feldtman reached on a walk and scored on an RBI single by Chad Kakela.

The Eagles got a run back in the third, then tied it in the fifth.

In the seventh, Kakela got on board with a walk. Mario McLaughlin was inserted as a pinch runner, then was sacrificed to second.

With two outs, Colin Bowman singled to score him and put Bainbridge in the lead.

But in their half of the frame, Issaquah got the tying run on board when Tal Glass hit the batter.

Gore brought in Feldtman, who got a groundout as the batter laid down a sacrifice bunt, then a flyout to put the runner on third.

He intentionally walked the next batter, then got what appeared to be the game winning out with a ground ball to Peleti, but he couldn’t handle it and the run scored to tie the game.

It was after that that things got heated, as the Issaquah fans began taunting Bainbridge.

Gore said they had to stop play to get things back to normal

“The fans were brutal,” he said. “We had to take a few moments and calm everyone down.”

The Spartans tried to get back in it in the eighth, but couldn’t drive the runners in.

Feldtman came back to strike out the first batter of the inning, but then walked the next two and gave up a bloop single to end the Spartans’ season.

But Gore said they can’t put the blame of any one person.

“It was a team loss,” he said. “We did everything we could, but it didn’t work out.

“It was an emotional game,” Gore continued. “But everyone stepped up. The seniors played phenomenal. They had a great career.”

While its tough for them to think about next year, Gore said they can take pride in what they did this year.

“We love our kids,” he said. “I didn’t expect to be this good, but they did a great job. Things didn’t work out, but that’s baseball. That’s life.”