COULEE CITY – The ACH Legion A Warriors ended their season July 20 after a competitive 8-13 loss against the Medical Lake Dirt Dawgs. Despite the loss, head coach Hunter Lee was happy for his players to get the experience of playoff baseball.  

“It was a great experience for our guys to be able to play in a playoff-type format, and in a bunch of games and not a lot of days, lots of guys got to pitch, played a ton of baseball and close games for all of them. It was a great experience for us,” he said.  

After winning one of two games last Wednesday, the Warriors had to travel to Medical Lake to continue their playoff competition, starting on Friday. They opened the weekend against the Dirt Dawgs.  

The Warriors started off strong in the first two innings, scoring three runs in each to take a 6-1 lead heading into the third. The Dirt Dawgs responded in the bottom of the third with three runs to cut the Warriors' lead to 6-4.  

“We just got off to a really good start. I thought we had really good energy going into it, and everybody was locked in and ready to go,” Lee said.  

The Warriors increased their lead to 7-4 in the fourth inning but went scoreless in the top of the fifth. The Dirt Dawgs mounted a comeback in the bottom of the fifth with five runs to take a 9-7 lead over the Warriors.  

The Dirt Dawgs held the Warriors scoreless in the top of the sixth before adding another run in the bottom of that inning. In the top of the seventh, the Warriors had one last opportunity to retake the lead. They only scored one run before recording three outs, and the Dirt Dawgs secured a 10-8 win.  

“They started putting the ball in play. I think they had a couple of doubles and triples. We made a few mistakes, and they were just able to capitalize on those and ultimately come back and beat us,” Lee said. 

With the loss Friday, Lee told his players they would have to win three in a row to make the state playoffs. Despite the loss Friday, Lee said he liked how his players played compared to Wednesday. They came out hot instead of flat this time, and he made sure to complement their effort, he said.  

On Saturday, the Warriors played against the Lakeside Eagles A team. They came out hot again by putting up four runs in the top of the first inning. Through the fourth inning, the Warriors slowly built their lead with single-run innings. The Eagles kept it close with two-run innings in the bottom of the second and fourth.  

Heading into the top of the sixth inning, the Warriors led 7-5. They added to their lead with four runs in the top of the sixth and held the Eagles scoreless in the bottom of that inning. In the seventh inning, both teams recorded one more run each before the Warriors secured a 12-6 win and advanced to Sunday with state playoff hopes still alive.  

According to Lee, their base running was a key factor in their win over the Eagles on Saturday. The Warriors recorded 12 stolen bases.  

“We caused a lot of havoc on the base paths and put ourselves in scoring position. Then we had a lot of big hits to score some guys. That was a great game all around for us,” Lee said. 

Lee also praised Ethan Martinez’s pitching efforts. He pitched six innings, holding the Eagles to four earned runs and striking out three batters.  

On Sunday, the Warriors played their first game against the Spokane Valley Bombers A National team. Early on, this matchup proved to be a defensive battle between the two teams. After the second inning, they were tied 2-2 with neither team giving an inch of momentum to the other.  

Both teams remained scoreless through the fourth inning before the Warriors slowly took the momentum in the top of the fifth. They would score one run to take a one-run lead and hold the Bombers scoreless in the bottom of the fifth.  

In the top of the sixth inning, the Warriors strung together three runs to increase their lead to 6-2. The Bombers only scored one more run in the bottom of the sixth and went scoreless in the bottom of the seventh. The Warriors secured their second straight win with a final score of 6-3.  

“We unfortunately had to play at 9 a.m. on Sunday,” Lee said. “I know a couple of kids on my team ended up having to wake up at five in the morning, and they drove all the way back up to Deer Park, the energy was a little bit more quiet and mellow, but we're still able to take care of business and we were glad that we're able to fight for one more game in the afternoon.”  

The Warriors faced the Dirt Dawgs again in their second game on Sunday. The Warriors jumped to an 8-1 lead after scoring six runs in the top of the third. From there, the lead would disappear.  

The Dirt Dawgs scored four runs in the fourth and fifth innings and took an 8-10 lead over the Warriors. They rode their momentum and strung together three more runs. After holding the Warriors scoreless in the top of the seventh, the Dirt Dawgs secured an 8-13 win. 

“It was a lot like the game on Friday, where we just couldn't keep the lead, and that's kind of been the story against those guys this year,” Lee said. “They're just a very good team. We just unfortunately kind of ran out of gas and couldn't finish it.”  

With the loss Sunday, the Warriors did not qualify for the state playoffs, and their season has officially come to an end. According to Lee, the Warriors experienced a varsity baseball season since they played 23 games over the summer. He said this will be beneficial for getting the younger players on the team the necessary experience for the spring season.  

Lee said player development was their main goal this season, and they were able to accomplish that. He noted that baseball IQ was one of the more notable improvements throughout the season. He said the mental side of the game is crucial and players can only understand that through playing games. 

“I am very excited about what we're going to be able to put on the field next season in the springtime. We lost a lot of seniors, but watching these young guys play, we're going to be just fine,” Lee said.  

Box Scores: 

Friday: 

ACHL:  3 3 0 1 0 0 1  8 

MDCL: 1 0 3 0 5 1 * 10 

Saturday: 

ACHL: 4 1 1 1 0 4 1 12 

LKSD:  1 2 0 2 0 0 1  6  

Sunday: 

Game one:  

ACHL: 2 0 0 0 1 3 0  6  

SPKN: 0 2 0 0 0 1 0  3 

Game two: 

ACHL: 2 0 6 0 0 0 0  8 

MDCL: 1 0 1 4 4 3 * 13 

    Warriors Ethan Martinez looks to the dugout for pitching signals from head coach Hunter Lee. The Warriors came one game short of a state tournament berth after losing to the Medical Lake Dirt Dawgs.
  

    Cade Carstensen, ACH Legion A Warriors, takes a swing at home plate in a previous game against the Cheney Summer Hawks. Carstensen stole two bases in their playoff game against the Lakeside Eagles A team.
  

    Warriors Ethan Martinez begins to lead off first base in an attempt to steal second. Head coach Hunter Lee said base running is a key element to their game plan.
  

    Cade Carstensen jets to first base after hitting a line drive to the outfield. Head coach Hunter Lee said the team had a successful season with player development, and should be ready for varsity baseball in the spring.
  

    Warriors head coach Hunter Lee pumps up his team after a successful defensive inning. Lee said his team has come along this season in development and is picking up the high school competition at a quick pace.
  

    Warriors Nolan Grindy slides into home base to score for his team. Head coach Hunter Lee said Grindy has been great for the team all season and does a good job of getting on base.