Sixers 14U come up short in Sunday action

ELLENSBURG – On Sunday, the Central Washington Sixers 14U baseball team was defeated in the championship round of the Clash of Kittitas tournament. They fell to the Spokane Expos with a final score of 8-11. Baseball is a game of inches, according to head coach Rey Lopez.  

“Really proud of the boys who worked really hard,” Lopez said. “It is disappointing as a coach, just because of the time and the effort that the boys put in, and they were looking forward to going in and winning the championship game.”  

The Sixers played in two games Sunday, the first coming against Elevate NW Hooks. The Sixers carried their momentum from Saturday’s game and came out on fire. After holding Elevate to one run in the top of the first inning, the Sixers strung together six runs to get off to a strong start.  

“We hit the ball well, we spread the ball all over the field. We were able to capitalize. We had runners on base. So, we scored a lot of runs and that was one of the things that we wanted to do,” Lopez said.  

Lopez attributed their early success partly to Cade Chlarson’s pitching efforts. According to him, the pitching threw off Elevate and they were able to capitalize on offense. In the bottom of the second inning, the Sixers went on a tear. They were able to score 10 runs and increase their lead to 16-1.  

After holding Elevate scoreless in the top of the third, the game was called off, and the Sixers secured the win. With the win, they would move on to play the Spokane Expos in the 14U championship round.  

“Overall...Cade Chlarson pitched a heck of a game that day and was able to get those kids off balance and keep them off the bases,” Lopez said.  

Heading into the championship round, the Sixers felt confident and hoped to maintain the momentum they built, Lopez said. On Saturday, the Sixers defeated the Expos 16-6.  

According to Lopez, they hoped the early finish to game one would have given them the opportunity to come into the game rested. Early on, the momentum they built over the weekend appeared to be carrying over.  

After allowing the Expos to score two runs in the top of the first inning, the Sixers responded with four runs of their own to take a 4-1 lead heading into the second inning. After Chlarson pitched a scoreless series in the top of the second inning, the Sixers strung together four more runs, increasing their lead to 8-2.  

“We felt pretty confident going with (Chlarson) in the in the championship game, he started the game pitching really well,” Lopez said.  

However, after a few defensive mistakes, the Expos were able to start mounting a comeback. According to Lopez, on a routine pop fly, a Sixers left fielder went to catch the ball, but it popped out of his glove.  

“That's part of the game, that's why baseball is a game of inches, nothing on him. The ball just kind of bounced around his glove and fell out,” he said.  

Lopez said the Expos also made a change at pitcher that created challenges for them offensively. Their pitcher was able to throw strikes, and the Sixers began to struggle with hits, he said.  

“We just couldn't make contact; we just couldn't find the holes offensively,” Lopez said.  

Through the third and fourth innings, the Expos pulled together four runs. In the fifth and sixth innings, both teams went scoreless. However, in the top of the seventh inning, the Expos stormed back with five runs to take an 11-8 lead over the Sixers.  

The Sixers put Eddie Gonzalez in at pitcher, which worked through the scoreless fifth and sixth innings, but the momentum changed in the top of the seventh, Lopez said.  

“Eddie Gonzalez pitched really well,” Lopez said. “He didn't give up any runs. I left him in for the top of the seventh inning. I think he just kind of ran out of gas, a little bit, kind of got a little tired, and ended up giving up some runs. (The Expos) ended up scoring some runs and took the lead.”  

The Sixers were unsuccessful in their comeback attempts in the bottom of the seventh inning. The Sixers were thrown out, and the Expos secured the 14U division championship. 

The Sixers will play in the Moses Lake Meltdown tournament this weekend. Their first game is at 8 a.m. at Big Bend Community College. Their second game will be played at Larson Playfield at 11:15 a.m. As the Sixers prepare for it, Lopez said the team is only looking forward, not back.  

“We just go into practice and work on those little things that we do every day, every practice. We don’t dwell on, ‘This is what costs the game,’ or anything like that. There's nothing you can do. We can't go back. We just work on those little things that we continue to do,” Lopez said.  

Box Score 

Game One:  

ELVT:  1 0 0    1 

SXRS: 6 10 * 16 

Game Two: 

SPKN: 2 0 3 1 0 0 5  11 

SXRS:  4 4 0 0 0 0 0    8 

    Sixers Cade Chlarson is met at third base by head coach Rey Lopez who high fived him for getting there. Lopez said Chlarson pitched very well in both games on Sunday.
  

    Sixers Eddie Gonzalez pitching against the Spokane Expos in their Saturday matchup. Gonzalez came in for pitching relief on Sunday against the Expos and held them scoreless for the fifth and sixth innings.
  

    Sixers player stands near first base as they take over on defense against the Spokane Expos in their Saturday matchup. They lost their rematch in the Clash of Kittitas 14U championship game 11-8.
  

    Sixers Cade Chlarson throwing a pitch against the Spokane Expos in their Saturday matchup. Chlarson struck out three batters in their morning game against the Elevate NW Hooks team on Sunday.
  

    Sixers Cannon Delong slides into home plate to score for the team against the Spokane Expos in their Saturday matchup. They were victorious in their Saturday game but fell short in their rematch on Sunday.
  

    The Sixers’ Carson Valdez tips his helmet to the dugout as he rounds third base and scores a run against the Spokane Expos in their Saturday matchup. Head coach Rey Lopez, left, can be seen celebrating as his player runs past him.