Sixer 18U complete another busy weekend

MOSES LAKE – Over the weekend, the Central Washington Sixers 18U team went 3-1 across four games. Head coach Jason Laugen was pleased with what he saw from his team over the weekend.  

“Overall, we played pretty well. We were in an 18U tournament. We're a team of a bunch of 16- and 17-year-olds, and so we're playing up a little bit, and the kids played really well,” he said.  

Their set of games began on Thursday against the Wow Factor Northwest 18U team. It was a low-scoring affair that remained scoreless through the top of the fourth inning. In the bottom of the fourth inning, the Sixers would score their first two runs of the game. After a scoreless fifth inning, both teams took their biggest swings.  

In the top of the sixth inning, the Wow Factor scored two runs to tie the game. However, the Sixers would respond in the bottom of the inning and score two runs of their own. From there, the seventh inning would go scoreless, and the Sixers would win 4-2.  

Laugen had high praise for pitcher Dagen Enquist. Enquist pitched for six innings and struck out five batters.  

“He pitched very well Thursday night against that Wow Factor team, who's a very tough team. They're a bunch of seniors from Kennewick High School, and Kennewick finished third in state this last year in the 3A's. So, it was a very stacked team, and he did a great job in keeping them to only two runs,” Laugen said.  

Their second game came on Friday against the Spokane Rawlings Tigers 17U team. This would be the Sixers' most offensive-heavy game of the weekend. After holding the Tigers scoreless in the top of the first inning, they erupted offensively for 12 runs. 

“It was a really good start for the team that we were playing against and so it was one of those games where they helped us out a little bit with some errors and some walks, but we took advantage of the opportunities with runners in scoring position and got some good base hits and we were able to put 12 runs on them,” Laugen said.  

The Tigers would string together five runs across the second and third innings, but the Sixers stretched their lead in the bottom of the fourth with three runs. The game only went to four innings, and the Sixers dominated offensively to win 16-6.  

On Saturday, the Sixers would play the Kitsap County Rebels 18U team in their third game of the weekend. The Sixers would have to earn this win late in the game after falling behind 3-1 in the first inning.  

The Sixers climbed back with a single run in the third and fourth innings. With the game now tied heading into the fifth inning, the Sixers would capitalize on their opportunity to take the game away. In the top of the inning, they would score four runs and take a 7-3 lead against the Rebels.  

Pitching led by Toby Moore, Emerson White and Nathan Hiatt kept the Rebels scoreless in the bottom of the fifth. The Sixers would put the final nail in the coffin by scoring three more runs in the top of the sixth inning and shutting out the Rebels in the bottom of that inning, too. The Sixers would win 10-3 and continue building momentum.  

“We've got plenty of arms available to us, and we're just now starting to settle into more of a rotation as to how we're throwing guys against teams and tournaments, but they've been solid throwing strikes, and we've been playing good defense behind them,” Laugen said.  

On Sunday, the Sixers played their fourth and final game against a familiar foe, the Wow Factor NW 18U team. This time around, the momentum did not play in their favor. After a scoreless first inning, the Wow Factor scored six runs in the top of the second inning.  

According to Laugen, the Sixers struggled with the wind and putting the ball in play. The Wow Factor would add to their lead in the third and fourth innings with four total runs to win 10-0.  

“You didn't feel the wind on the on the ground, but as you looked at the treetops, it was really gusting up there. So, the kids had a hard time adjusting right away to that. So, a couple balls dropped, which allowed the other team to get into pretty advantageous situations offensively,” Laugen said.  

Despite the tough loss, Laugen said there is plenty to learn from across the entire weekend. He said players can learn some things based on their personal performances and as a team, they can work together in practice to learn from their games.  

Laugen emphasized their goals as a summer league baseball team. They aim to help players develop their skills and become improved players before the next high school season. According to him, he has seen his players develop like they should throughout the summer, thus far.  

“What I'm trying to do is to get them to understand the game of baseball a little bit more, and the games are now where we try to teach them how to like I said, be able to adjust themselves, be able to anticipate what hitters are trying to do, what opposing coaches are trying to do, as far as situational baseball and all of that,” he said.  

Box Scores: 

WWFC: 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 2
SXRS: 0 0 0 2 0 2 *  4 

SPKN: 0 1 2 1       6
SXRS: 12 0 1 3 12 

SXRS: 1 0 1 1 4 3 10
KTSP: 3 0 0 0 0 0    3 

WWFC: 0 6 1 3  10
SXRS:     0 0 0 0    0  

    Sixers Eli Nash sprinting to first base after hitting a line drive in a previous game this season. The Sixers most dominant game was against the Spokane Rawlings Tigers, where they scored 12 runs in the first inning.
  

    Sixers Trey Tovar inches away from second base to steal third in a previous game. Head coach Jason Laugen said summer league baseball is beneficial for high school players to develop during their offseason.
  

    Sixers Trey Tovar takes a swing at home plate in a previous game this season. Tovar recorded an RBI against the Kitsap County Rebels 18U team, which they won 10-3.