COULEE CITY — The Almira/Coulee-Hartline Warriors (16-3) are back in the final four of the 1B State Tournament after defeating Wahkiakum 7-3 in the first round Saturday. According to head coach Hunter Lee, getting back to this point has been the goal all season.

“We definitely expected to be here, because we were in the state championship game last year, so if we didn’t make the Final Four, I think that would not have met our expectations,” he said.

ACH will play the defending state champion DeSales in the semifinals. DeSales defeated the Warriors in the 2024 state title game.

The Warriors started the game against Wahkiakum with four runs in the bottom of the first inning. ACH was able to work through their batting rotation during the inning. An error gave them their first run, Carter Pitts executed a single that scored a run, and Brody Pitts singled and scored two runs.

Wahkiakum responded at the top of the second with two runs of their own, but would be held to no runs for the next three innings.

The Warriors added to their lead in the third inning with a sacrifice fly by Brody Pitts, and two more in the bottom of the fourth inning. Wahkiakum got one more run in the sixth inning, but the Warriors' defense held strong to secure the win.

The pitching efforts by Caden Correia and Max Grindy helped the Warriors to their win. Correia only allowed four hits and one run across four innings. He managed to strike out two batters and walk one. Grindy allowed three hits and two runs through three innings. He struck out three batters and walked three.

Due to their success in the regular season and the district tournament, the Warriors secured a first-round bye and came into the game against Wahkiakum rested.

“Our district championship game was two Saturdays ago, and then that opening round was on the following Tuesday, right after that. So, it would have been a pretty quick turnaround for us, especially pitching-wise, and it was definitely nice to have a full week off between games,” Lee said.

According to Lee, a rematch with DeSales has been a goal for the Warriors this season.

“It’s definitely one that we wanted to get back ever since the championship game last year, we ended up getting shut out and the guy they had on the mound had like 12 or 15 strikeouts, we never really had a chance, we definitely haven’t forgotten it. We would love to try and get it back on Friday this week,” Lee said.

The Warriors have been preparing all season to reach this point in the state tournament. Lee said anything less than the final four or state championship game would have fallen short of the team’s expectations.

Coming into this season, the Warriors returned the majority of their roster, only graduating two of their seniors.

“This season is kind of the culmination of a lot of years of hard work and baseball. So, they’ve been very focused, and like we all know our goal, hopefully we can try and achieve that,” Lee said.

The Warriors will play DeSales on Friday, May 30 at Carlon Park in Selah with the first pitch set for 10 a.m. If they win, they will play in the state tournament finals Saturday at Carlon Park.

    Carter Pitts celebrates with his teammates in a previous game this season. Pitts helped the Warriors score in the first inning against Wahkiakum Saturday, allowing them to get off to a hot start.
  

    Jameson Conley goes after a pop fly in a game last season. Conley recorded two walks for the Warriors against Wahkiakum Saturday.