ELLENSBURG — The Central Washington Sixers 14U baseball team (24-14-2) concluded their season in the Bullpen Series: Season Finale tournament Sunday. According to head coach Ray Lopez, his players left it all on the field.  

“The boys played really hard. We had an opportunity to take the win; however, our pitchers kind of ran out of gas a little bit there (at the end),” Lopez said.  

The Sixers’ first game was against the Mets 14U Blue team. Momentum would go back and forth between the teams. The Mets took the lead first with two runs in the top of the first inning and held the Sixers scoreless in the bottom of the inning.  

The Sixers responded in the top of the second inning by holding the Mets scoreless and scoring two runs of their own in the bottom of the second, tying the game 2-2. The competition remained even, and they headed into the bottom of the fourth inning tied at three.  

The Sixers took the lead with two runs scored by Drake Hansen and Cannon Delong. They strengthened that lead with a triple play by Krue Judkins that scored Beau Fricke and Joaquin Hernandez, increasing their lead to 8-3.  

“He was able to take a fastball and drive it to the right field gap, and was able to score some runs,” Lopez said.  

In the top of the fifth inning, the Mets responded with four runs to cut the score to 8-7. They held the Sixers scoreless in the bottom of the fifth and tied the game 8-8 in the top of the sixth.  

The game remained tied at eight through the top of the eighth inning. Since they were in extra innings, teams got to start a player at second base on offense. The Sixers managed to keep the Mets from scoring and took over in the bottom of the eighth.  

Carson Valdez singled a ground ball to shortstop that allowed Cash Curtis to score their only run of the inning. With that score, the Sixers secured a win and advanced to the championship game of the Bullpen Series.  

“It was a hard battle. Our bats were hot; their bats were hot; we exchanged hit for hit. So, it was a really good game,” Lopez said.  

In the championship game, the Sixers played the Ellensburg Blues 14U team. Through the first two innings, neither team would score a run. To start the game, Beau Fricke was the Sixers pitcher.  

The Blues would score first in the bottom of the third inning, taking a 1-0 lead over the Sixers. From there, the offensive production would pick up steam for both teams. In the top of the third, the Sixers scored two runs to take a 2-1 lead. However, the Blues responded with three runs and retook the lead at 4-2.  

The Sixers rebounded in the top of the fifth inning with three more runs scored by Hansen, Delong and Valdez to take a 5-4 lead. Lopez praised Hansen for his ability to consistently contribute to the team's success.  

“He was unstoppable at the plate as well as defensively. He was the leader on the team when it came to crunch time and it showed at the plate,” he said.  

In the bottom of the fifth, the Sixers kept the Blues scoreless and added a single in the top of the sixth. The Blues rebounded in the bottom of the sixth with three runs to take a 7-6 lead.  

The Sixers retook the lead after Judkins and Hernandez scored runs. However, in the bottom of the seventh, the game slipped away from them after the Blues scored two runs and secured a 9-8 win.  

After falling short in the championship game, the Sixers' summer season has come to an end. Lopez said the outcome of last weekend may not have gone the way he hoped, but he is proud of what his team accomplished this season.  

“These kids spend a lot of time on the ball field,” he said. “The work that they put in, and we go into each tournament (and take it) one game at a time. We go in there (believing) that we're the team to beat, and it shows during practice, and it shows in the games.” 

The players try to have as much fun as possible when they play, and the coaching staff lets them, Lopez said. According to him, when the players are having fun, success usually follows. He enjoyed watching their passion for baseball shine on the field and seeing their growth throughout the season, he said.  

“It's the off-season where they become better ball players, and it's that extra work that they put in. It's not about winning the championships, it’s about going out there and playing hard and playing for one another and just battling to the end,” Lopez said.  

Lopez also credited the parents and family members who came out to support the players all summer. He feels they received one of the largest family supports this year.  

“Those fans definitely got to see some good baseball, at the age of 14, they got to see these kids play and perform really well,” Lopez said.  

BOX SCORES:  

Game 1 

METS: 2, 0, 0, 1, 4, 1, 0, 0  8
SXRS:  0, 2, 1, 5, 0, 0, 1  9 

Game 2 

SXRS: 0, 0, 0, 2, 3, 1, 2  8
ELLN: 0, 0, 1, 3, 0, 3, 2  9 

    Drake Hansen of the Sixers 14U baseball team dives into third base to complete a triple play earlier this season. Head coach Ray Lopez praised Hansen for his contributions on offense and defense, calling him an MVP caliber player for the Sixers this year.
  

    Sixers Cannon Delong slides into home plate in a previous game this season. Delong recorded a double against the Mets 14U Blue team on Sunday in their season finale tournament.
  

    The Sixers’ Carson Valdez tips his helmet to the dugout as he rounds third base and scores a run for the team. Head coach Rey Lopez, left, can be seen celebrating as his player runs past him.