Diamond Ducks fall into consolation bracket in first round of postseason
CALEB PEREZ | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 month, 3 weeks AGO
Diamond Ducks pitcher Eli Edwards prepares to sling a pitch at his opponent during Thursday’s game against Milton Freewater in the postseason tourney.
CALEB PEREZ/COLUMBIA BASIN HERALD
Cade Carstensen from ACH gets ahold of the ball near third base and prepares to hurl it toward first base to tag out a Twins runner.
ACH player Nolan Grindy slides safe onto third base during Thursday morning’s game against Milton Freewater.
Diamond Ducks player Levi Oliver steps up to bat against Milton Freewater Thursday morning.
EPHRATA — The Almira/Coulee-Hartline Diamond Ducks fell in the first round of the Tillage League postseason tournament 8-3 to the Milton Freewater Twins. Despite the loss, the season stays alive as the Diamond Ducks prepare to battle through the consolation bracket.
“It was a really good game, it was a lot closer than what the final score indicates,” said Diamond Ducks Head Coach Hunter Lee. “We had a chance going into the sixth inning there and then just some things happened.”
The Twins got on the board first with three runs in the top of the first inning, but ACH responded in the bottom of the inning after Levi Oliver hit a ground ball to score Nolan Grindy and Ty Nelson hit a sacrifice fly to score Oliver. After a scoreless second inning, the game sat at 3-2.
Milton added to their score in the top of the third with a single run to increase their lead. ACH closed the gap to a one-run game in the bottom of the fourth when Rhett Harris singled to score Nelson.
In the final two innings, Milton solidified their victory by scoring a run in the sixth and three runs in the seventh while holding the Diamond Ducks scoreless.
Eli Edwards started on the mound for the Diamond Ducks where he allowed four hits and four runs in his four innings as pitcher while striking out three. Ethan Martinez came in during the fifth and sixth innings where he threw two strike outs and Oliver closed out the final inning.
“It was a good game,” said Lee. “Most of that game was a really well-played game on both sides.”
The coach said he was proud of how ACH executed plays throughout the game both offensively and defensively. The good that they accomplished in this game is something he wants the team to remember and carry over into their next matchup.
“Playoffs, you might come in with a little bit of nerves, a little bit of pressure,” said Lee. “You’re one game in and you’ve been here before a little bit and hopefully we can come out with a win.”
The Diamond Ducks next game is scheduled for 10 a.m. Friday as they face the Monarch Baseball Club.
Cade Carstensen from ACH gets ahold of the ball near third base and prepares to hurl it toward first base to tag out a Twins runner.
ACH player Nolan Grindy slides safe onto third base during Thursday morning’s game against Milton Freewater.
Diamond Ducks player Levi Oliver steps up to bat against Milton Freewater Thursday morning.ARTICLES BY CALEB PEREZ
Tigers Cross Country ready for their biggest season yet
EPHRATA — The Ephrata Tigers Cross Country team is already hard at work to be in top shape for the 2026 season. With a strong group of returning runners alongside a solid group of new faces, the Tigers are eager to hit the ground running this year. “I’m feeling energized,” said Tigers Head Coach Lyndsy Roberts. “We’ve got a good group, one of the largest groups we’ve had in a long time.” The Tigers roster has over 50 athletes that have been participating in early season practices between the boys and girls, who Roberts said have all been mixing together well.
Lions set with smaller but strong squad
MOSES LAKE — Despite seeing a smaller roster this year, the Moses Lake Christian Academy Lions volleyball team is looking to build off their success from last season. With strong returners, the Lions are on track to stay competitive. “We lost some people, but we’ll be able to fill in, so that’ll be nice. Not quite at the numbers that we normally have, but we’ll make it work,” said Lions Head Coach Dean Spurbeck. The Lions concluded their 2025 season with a 10-8 record after battling through a tough Central Washington B League. MLCA entered into the postseason district tournament where they entered as the fourth seed and fell to the fifth seeded Pateros in the second round.
Huskies bring in senior experience for the coming season
OTHELLO — The Othello Huskies girls soccer team is preparing for another tough season in the Central Washington Athletic Conference. This year the Huskies are returning with an advantage as they bring back their full roster from last season. “We’re looking good; we’re trending in the right direction,” said Huskies Head Coach Victor Quiroz. “We’re bringing everybody back that we had last year on our varsity team, so we’re super excited. That makes it a lot easier going into the season.” Last season, the Huskies completed the regular season 6-9-1, which earned them a spot for the district tournament. Othello was eliminated in the first round of districts after a tight game against Prosser that ended in a shootout with a final score of 2-1.