Diamond Ducks fall into consolation bracket in first round of postseason
CALEB PEREZ | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 month 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
Sushik comes full circle ahead of first season at BBCC
MOSES LAKE — The next step in Liana Sushik’s athletic journey has led her to play for the Big Bend Community College Vikings volleyball team this fall after a successful career with the Soap Lake Eagles. Joining the Vikings is something she feels has deepened her love for the sport, she said. “I fell in love with the fact that there’s more than just high school volleyball; there’s another level,” said Sushik. “It’s like a whole new chapter and I’m so excited to see what I have next because there’s a lot that I’ve been through to get here.” Despite her success on the court, Sushik said she didn’t initially start out as an athlete.
Building a community at Desert City Fitness
EPHRATA — The city of Ephrata welcomed its newest athletic club earlier this summer with Desert City Fitness setting up along Basin Street. Since their grand opening June 6, the club has worked to become a strong contributor to the community in Ephrata. “We just opened our doors and whoever comes in, that’s how we do it,” said Bryan Boney, owner of Desert City Fitness. Boney, who owns the club alongside his wife Tracy Fillion, decided to open Desert City Fitness to keep himself active after retiring six years ago. Boney said he has invested all his money from retirement into purchasing the property, remodeling and getting the equipment necessary to open his fitness center.
Grid Kids expands opportunities this season
MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake Grid Kids football program is gearing up for the start of its 26th football season this fall. This year, alongside their tackle football program, the Grid Kids have expanded their flag football options. “It’s one of those things that you just don’t really know how well it’s going to go, but right now we’re looking pretty strong,” said Brian Gwinn, the Gird Kids administrator and communications contact. The tackle opportunities remain the same for third through sixth grade with third and fourth graders playing together and fifth and sixth graders separately from the younger players. The format for third and fourth grade will remain at a regular 11-man game, but for fifth and sixth grade there is consideration for moving down to an eight-on-eight format.