Sixers 14U cap summer with Moses Lake Meltdown championship

MOSES LAKE — The Central Washington Sixers 14U (18-18-1) concluded their summer season with a championship win in the Moses Lake Meltdown tournament.  

"It's nice to be able to win the last one and cap off of a good summer," Head Coach Steve Keller said. "For a lot of these kids going to high school next year, it's a good way to end the summer and get ready for school." 

The Sixers were dominant throughout the weekend, outscoring their opponents 48-7. They first defeated the LC Outlaws 11-1 on Saturday before concluding the day with a 17-2 win over the Marysville Hawks. On Sunday, they defeated the SS Baseball Club 10-2 before sealing the tournament win 10-2 in a rematch with the Outlaws. Across four games, they never gave up more than two runs in a game, highlighting a sharp defense and strong pitching.  

"Being able to throw strikes and have contact early just allows for everything to work," Keller said.  

Moses Lake Meltdown Champions 

The Outlaws struck first in the top of the second inning of the championship game, taking a 1-0 lead. However, momentum swung back in the favor of the Sixers after Mikey Martinez and Miles Helm got home to give them a 2-1 lead.  

After holding the Outlaws scoreless in the top of the third inning, Keller and the Sixers coaching staff emphasized the bottom of that inning as a crucial one. The lineup responded well to that sentiment as Larsen Brown, Jack Tschirky, Kaden Stagner and Helm added four runs to their lead to take control of the game.  

"They just play a good, consistent game," Keller said. "We have great hitters and tie it together with good baseball. They do a good job of responding. I really liked their approach all weekend, being able to stay inside the baseball." 

The Sixers held the Outlaws scoreless once again in the top of the fourth inning, setting them up for another chance to build on their lead. Waylon Kron, Jaxon Keller and Brown helped the team add three more runs to their total, giving them a 9-1 lead.  

The Outlaws managed to score a single run in the top of the fifth inning, but the Sixers were able to force three outs before they could build momentum.  

The two teams went scoreless in the bottom of the fifth and top of the sixth. However, Brown sealed the Sixers win with a run in the bottom of the sixth.  

After the game, he was named the teams tournament MVP after stringing together multiple strong performances that helped push them to victory. In the championship game, he recorded three hits, three runs, a double and a stolen base. He also closed out the game on the mound, allowing just two hits, one earned run and struck out three batters.  

In addition to Brown, Coach Keller had high praise for his team as a whole.  

"We had four guys, .400 or better, RBIs (and) two out RBIs all over the place," Keller said. "Brown just hammers baseballs, our catcher Luke Sawyer that was one of his first times behind the plate and he did really well. Our defense (of) Jackson Keller and Remington Martin made plays left and right. Waylon Kron hammering baseballs. Miles Helm had a good weekend, barreled up baseballs. Mikey Martinez had eight hits on the weekend. It was good all the way around with the Larson Brown is a special kid." 

With the championship win, this concludes the Sixers 14U's summer season ahead of the school year. Coaches at the Six emphasize player development for any athlete that comes through their program. Since they started in April, Keller feels his team has grown a lot this season.  

He emphasized the team’s biggest growth this season was in quality offensive execution and consistently putting the ball in play, getting runners on base, moving them over and bringing them into home plate. He noted they took pride in every at-bat and handled run-scoring situations, especially with a runner on second, much more effectively throughout the year. 

"I thought that was a lot of growth that we needed to have before they get into high school," Keller said. "I've had a core of these guys since they were nine years old, and it's just fun to see how much they improve every year, and you don't notice it when you see them every day, but it's pretty cool to step back and see what they can do." 

BOX SCORE: 

LCTL: 0-1-0-0-1-0: 2 

SXRS: 0-2-4-3-0-1: 10 

    The Sixers' Remington Martin (2) hits the ball into the outfield against the LC Outlaws 14U Sunday. Martin recorded an RBI in the Sixers 10-2 win, Sunday.
  

    Sixers 14U Head Coach Steve Keller (gray hoodie) talks with pitcher Hesston Schwab (Left) and catcher Lukas Sawyer (8) on the mound during their championship game against the LC Outlaws, Sunday.
  

    Mikey Martinez (3) eyes the ball after hitting into the outfield against the LC Outlaws 14U, Sunday. Martinez recorded a run and an RBI in the Sixers win.