Almira Coulee Hartline takes ‘silver’ in state 1B baseball
CHERYL SCHWEIZER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 2 years, 3 months AGO
Jameson Conley (5) pitched for Almira Coulee Hartline in the state final game.
R. HANS MILLER/COLUMBIA BASIN HERALD
Almira Coulee Hartline pitcher Jameson Conley (5) goes after a pop fly in the state championship game against DeSales Catholic Saturday. The Warriors lost 6-0.
Caden Correia (2) pitched Almira Coulee Hartline into the title game with a dominating win over Naselle.
Harvest Parrish (6) takes off from second base in Almira Coulee Hartline’s state semifinal game.
Senior Reporter Cheryl Schweizer is a journalist with more than 30 years of experience serving small communities in the Pacific Northwest. She began her post-high-school education at Treasure Valley Community College and enerned her journalism degree at Oregon State University. After working for multiple publications, she has settled down at the Columbia Basin Herald and has been a staple of the newsroom for more than a decade. Schweizer’s dedication to her communities and profession has earned her the nickname “The Baroness of Bylines.” She covers a variety of beats including health, business and various municipalities. | May 30, 2024 2:30 AM
EPHRATA — The Almira Coulee Hartline baseball team finished a successful season with an appearance in the state 1B final four, falling to DeSales Catholic 6-0 in the state championship game at Johnson-O’Brien Stadium on Saturday.
Warriors coach Hunter Lee said the day belonged to DeSales and winning pitcher Sal Sisk.
“DeSales is just a really good team,” Lee said. “Their pitcher threw really well — we only got one hit off of him and (he had) 15 strikeouts. I’d say he was probably the difference, but they were pretty solid all the way around. They didn’t make any errors and they hit the ball really well. It was just, hats off to them. They were just the better team.”
Junior Carter Pitts collected the lone hit for ACH in the championship game. The Warriors reached the state final on the strength of a dominating performance by sophomore Caden Correia in the semifinal, but there are restrictions on the number of pitches allowed, and Corriea reached the limit in the first game, Lee said. Junior Jameson Conley took the loss for the Warriors.
Almira Coulee Hartline reached the final with an 11-1 win over Naselle on Friday night. Naselle was the two-time defending state champion; Lee told his players after the game that Naselle felt the pressure.
“We took advantage of their errors,” Lee told his team. “That was our baseball for that game.”
Correia pitched a shutout until the fifth inning. Naselle scored its lone run in the bottom of the fifth on a long fly to center field. Correia loaded the bases on a walk, but a fly ball to shallow right field ended the game.
Even with the state final loss, Lee said it was a great season.
“When you get that second-place trophy, it’s not the trophy you want on championship night. But when you take a step back and put it in perspective, second place is pretty good,” Lee said. “And we have a lot of young guys on our team that are going to be coming back next year. So we feel pretty excited about our chances next year and the next couple of years.”
Warrior coaches expected freshman Max Grindy to be the top pitcher in 2024, Lee said; Grindy was the team’s leading pitcher in 2023 as an eighth grader. But he sustained an injury prior to basketball season and didn’t play at all. He’s expected back for 2025.
The Warriors will lose two players, Jaxson Baergen and John Pierce, to graduation.
“(The) seniors on our team started, I think, every game this year. They’ve been a part of our team for a while now,” Lee said.
With a strong core returning, Lee said 2025 looks bright.
“We’ll be very competitive again next year. So to get that experience in a state championship game, for all those kids, we’ll be able to say we’ve been in big games before and kind of use that to our advantage.”
Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at [email protected].
Almira Coulee Hartline pitcher Jameson Conley (5) goes after a pop fly in the state championship game against DeSales Catholic Saturday. The Warriors lost 6-0.
Caden Correia (2) pitched Almira Coulee Hartline into the title game with a dominating win over Naselle.
Harvest Parrish (6) takes off from second base in Almira Coulee Hartline’s state semifinal game.ARTICLES BY CHERYL SCHWEIZER
Road projects on hold for Labor Day weekend
MOSES LAKE — With Labor Day weekend dead ahead, drivers will be able to move freely about the state. Most road projects are on hold for the holiday weekend. Nobody will be working on the Hansen Road overpass on Interstate 90, but the lane restrictions that are in effect will continue through the end of the project.
Cost estimates for water source alternatives given to Moses Lake City Council
Protected under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, efforts are ongoing to keep it self-sufficient
MOSES LAKE — It’s going to cost a lot of money to provide alternative water sources for the city of Moses Lake, but some of the possible alternatives will cost more than others. City officials provided the Moses Lake City Council with costs for various alternatives Tuesday.
Dryer vent cleaning is important -- but often overlooked
MOSES LAKE — Not all the maintenance a house needs is visible. Sometimes a potential problem just goes unnoticed until it causes trouble, sometimes serious trouble. But a lot of potential problems give off warning signs. Clothes dryers often do when they need a good cleaning.