MOSES LAKE — The Central Washington Sixers 18U (17-16-1) finished their summer season as champions after winning the Whitworth Prospect Series in Spokane. It was a great way to end the summer season, Head Coach Trey Evans said.  

"Guys came together and decided to end the year on a good little streak," Evans said. "Definitely had a little bit of up and down in the tournament but ended up coming together at the end and getting the job done." 

The Sixers started the tournament strong on Friday with a 5-2 win over the Spokane Rawlings Tigers. However, their momentum was briefly halted with a 2-10 loss to the Rock Creek Select Upperclass. In their lone game Saturday, the Sixers bounced back with an 8-0 win to put themselves in position to qualify for the championship on Sunday. They seized the opportunity Sunday morning with an 8-2 win over Northwest Havoc. From there, they capitalized off of a seven run first inning to storm their way to a 9-1 win over the Tillage All Stars, which sealed their tournament win.  

Evans was happy with how his team responded to adversity throughout the tournament.  

"It's what you want to see at the end of the year," he said. "Our pillars at the Six and with the sixers are discipline, development and growth. Our guys did a really good job of understanding the way to go about things, understanding how you win, how you lose and then just the developmental and discipline side was just a huge step in the right direction for a lot of our younger guys and our guys who are going to play at the next level next year." 

Tournament champs 

Though it was their first championship game of the season, the Sixers went into their game against the Tillage All Stars with a lot of confidence, Evans said.  

"I think it was just the confidence of knowing we could get there, and then understanding that we belong there, we belonged in that position because we had worked really hard all summer," Evans said. "Our guys had worked hard all weekend, and then it was just more of a we're here now, it's time to get it done."  

The Sixers were up to bat first, which they took as an opportunity to take control of the game early with seven runs. Ty Breinholt, Carter Peone, Terrance Huber, RJay Garza, Dagen Enquist, Caden Barney and Jacoby Tait all got home to help the team take a commanding 7-0 lead. 

From there, the Sixers defense took over and strong pitching by Darian Barr held Tillage scoreless in the bottom of the first inning. After they returned offense in the top of the second, Aaden Montes and Peone added two more runs, increasing their lead to 9-0.  

Both teams went scoreless from the bottom of the second inning through the top of the fourth. Tillage got on the board with a single run by Branden Clarke. However, it was not enough to mount a comeback, and the Sixers secured the win in Spokane.  

Throughout the entire tournament, the Sixers never gave up more than two runs in a game aside from their loss to Rock Creek. Evans said it spoke to his players ability to stay within their game and play to their own strengths.  

"Our pitchers attacked the zone really well," Evans said. "They understood that you are not going to strike everyone out. It's a lot harder to hit than it is to pitch, so go with your best stuff and attack the zone and let your defense work." 

The mental game 

As he reflected on the season, Evans said he felt the teams' mental game had improved the most. While many players are slated to head to the college level in the near future, some players are 16 years old who find themselves competing against college commits.  

"That was the biggest separating factor at the beginning," the coach said. "The mental side of the game and what your job is, and you focus on your job, you get your job done, the rest of the guys will, and that's just part of the discipline piece we have at the Six." 

With baseball being a slower paced game compared to other sports, it can be challenging for players to develop a grasp of their mental game. Evans noted baseball as a game of failure, and it can become easy to let mistakes take over a player's mind.  

"It was a little bit of an adjustment because a lot of our guys hadn't played at the 18U level, where these guys have been working on those mental cues and the mental strength side," Evans said. "It's one pitch at a time, being able to reset and just understand this is a game of failure, and it's going to happen." 

Evans has worked with his players to face elements of the game like this, head on to help build their confidence on the field. Another piece of the season he enjoyed was bringing together players who have not played together before, something they'll likely have to do again if they play at the collegiate level.  

"You get to that college level, everyone there was the best player for their high school, so now it's not big fish, small pond," he said. "It is a bunch of big fish learning how to work together, becoming a cohesive unit where they can work together and win a lot of baseball games." 

BOX SCORE: 

SXRS: 7-2-0-0-0: 9 

TLLG: 0-0-0-1-0: 1 

    Nolan Decubber (12) taps home plate ahead of his next swing while at bat for the Sixers earlier this season.
  

    The Sixers' Aaden Montes (22) fields a ground ball before turning to first base to throw a player out earlier this season.
  

    Ryan Martinez from the Sixers 18U team steps into his swing while at bat earlier this season.
  

    The Sixers' Cooper Vasquez (0) throws his next pitch while on the mound earlier this season.