Diamond Ducks finish summer in postseason tourney

COULEE CITY — The Almira/Coulee-Hartline Diamond Ducks concluded their run in the Tillage League postseason tournament Friday with a tight 3-0 loss to Monarch Baseball Club.. 

“(It) obviously didn’t go the way we wanted to,” said Diamond Ducks Head Coach Hunter Lee. “We got bounced out in two games, but it was still a good experience. We played two really good teams and we had some close competitive games.” 

After an 8-3 loss to Milton-Freewater Thursday in the first round, the Diamond Ducks took on Monarch Baseball Club in the consolation bracket.

Both teams went scoreless in the first inning, but the Monarchs took the lead in the bottom of the second with a single run. Both teams went scoreless once again in the third, and the Monarchs extended their lead in the fourth with two runs. 

The Diamond Ducks stayed competitive throughout the game through their defensive efforts, but the Monarchs’ own efforts kept them ahead. This proved to be the deciding factor as the Monarchs prevented ACH from scoring leading to a victory after the top of the seventh. 

Haydon Boyd started on the mound for the Diamond Ducks where he gave up six hits and three runs over six innings while striking out five and recording 18 outs.  

“Our pitching was pretty good overall,” said Lee. 

On the batting side, Boyd, Rhett Harris and Cade Carstensen each collected one hit for ACH. 

With the summer season of baseball coming to a close for the Diamond Ducks, Lee said the biggest improvement came from the players’ baseball IQ.  

“The big reason why we played is to get more games underneath their belts,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of young kids so just being able to play as much baseball as possible and seeing a bunch of different situations.” 

Playing in a competitive league like the Tillage League was valuable for their growth. Lee said not only did the Diamond Ducks get to face tough opponents, but the number of games they played was just two away from experiencing a full spring season. 

“The fact that we were able to get 18 really good games is probably better than our regular season,” said the coach. “The Tillage League gave us an opportunity to play our games a little closer to home than what we were in the past in Spokane. It was a lot of fun, definitely something I hope we continue.” 

From a head coach’s perspective, he said their dedication will help grow the program into the future as the players step into bigger roles. 

“I know a lot of them are working farm jobs or could be doing other things, but the fact that they wanted to come play and wanted to come play and wanted to get better says a lot about what their goals are and what our goals are,” said Lee. “Hopefully we can continue to be competitive and try to win a state championship.” 

    Diamond Ducks player Zach Booker stands on the mound ready to throw his next pitch during the Tillage League tournament.
  

    Rhett Harris from the Diamond Ducks runs toward first base after connecting a hit.
  

    ACH’s Cade Carstensen makes his way to first base during the postseason in the Tillage League.
  

    Diamond Ducks pitcher Eli Edwards throws to first baseman Jackson Elder for a quick out during the first game of the postseason tourney.
  

    Brody Pitts from ACH swings at a pitch in the first round of the postseason tourney for the Tillage League.