Colts get another shot.

Byline: Michael Weber For The Register-Guard

THE DALLES - After losing the Class 5A baseball state title game to Ashland last year, the Thurston team motto, as seen on T-shirts worn by numerous fans during the 2009 postseason, has been "Unfinished Business."

The Colts took one step toward taking care of business as they advanced to the championship game for a second consecutive year with a 13-2 victory over The Dalles Wahtonka in the semifinals on Tuesday.

Senior pitcher Skip Spencer threw a one-hitter and struck out six to lead Thurston (22-7) to the one-sided victory at a nearly filled Quinton Street Ballpark. The Colts, ranked No. 1 in the state, will play Corvallis for the state title at 1:30 p.m. Saturday at Volcanoes Stadium in Keizer.

The Spartans (26-4) advanced to the title game with a 9-2 semifinal over Ashland.

Seniors Brooks Chapman (1-for-4, RBI), Kyle Hoover (3-4, two RBIs), Tym Pearson (2-3, RBI) and Danny Urness (2-4, two RBIs) led the Colts' 12-hit attack.

"Oh man, this is just like a dream come true advancing to the championship game two years in a row," Hoover said. "We worked hard to get there last season and we worked even harder to back this year.

"Everyone realizes that getting there is something that we're not completely satisfied with, though. If we play like we did today and everyone continues hitting well, then we'll definitely have a good chance to win on Saturday."

With Thurston leading 7-2 entering the seventh inning, Spencer ignited a six-run outburst with a leadoff double off the wall in right field. Run-scoring hits by Pearson, Hoover and Urness and two errors by The Dalles Wahtonka helped Thurston build a commanding lead.

The Colts led from the start, taking a 1-0 lead with two outs in the first when Spencer hit a deep, line-drive triple to center field, scoring Hoover. In the second inning, Pearson walked, then scored when a The Dalles Wahtonka outfielder dropped a fly ball by Josh Galbreath to make it 2-0.

Spencer, who also catches for the Colts and will play at Seattle University next year, was in control from the start on the mound, striking out two of the first three batters and keeping the Eagle Indians off the scoreboard until the sixth inning.

"We really wanted to get back to the championship game and today we accomplished our goal," said Spencer, the Midwestern League player of the year. "Our defense helped me out whenever I relaxed a little bit on the mound. It was the best game that I've pitched this season. We've been hitting well recently and we played great offensively. We felt confident that we could string some hits together and put the ball into the gaps, which is exactly what we did."

In the fifth inning, Urness drew a one-out walk and two batters later he scored when Hoover reached base on an error at first base. After Spencer received an intentional walk, Hoover scored on Chapman's RBI single on a grounder up the middle.

Thurston extended its lead to 7-0 in the sixth as Urness and Matt Myrmo drove in runs. Urness, who scored three runs, stole home for the Colts' third run of the inning.

The Eagle Indians, the No. 2 seed from the Intermountain Conference, got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the sixth when Spencer walked the first two batters.

One runner scored on a sacrifice fly RBI and the other on an RBI groundout at first to make it 7-2 after six innings. The only hit Spencer allowed was a third-inning leadoff double by Zach Fowlkes.

"I feel pretty honored to have a team that's capable of going to the finals two straight years," Thurston coach Phil Dube said. "They've wanted to get back there, and they did a great job in accomplishing their goal. It should be a fun game, and I feel blessed to have an opportunity to play for the championship."