CALEB PEREZ

Diamond Ducks fall into consolation bracket in first round of postseason

EPHRATA — The Almira/Coulee-Hartline Diamond Ducks fell in the first round of the Tillage League postseason tournament 8-3 to the Milton Freewater Twins. Despite the loss, the season stays alive as the Diamond Ducks prepare to battle through the consolation bracket. “It was a really good game, it was a lot closer than what the final score indicates,” said Diamond Ducks Head Coach Hunter Lee. “We had a chance going into the sixth inning there and then just some things happened.”

Tigers win first round of postseason tourney

EPHRATA — The Ephrata Tigers Baseball Club earned a victory to start off their run in the Tillage League’s postseason tournament, winning 2-0 over Sunnyside’s Monarch Baseball Club. The game was a close matchup throughout with both teams playing at their best trying to stay in the winner’s bracket. “I thought it was a well played baseball game by both sides,” said Tigers Head Coach Ryan Tempel. “The Monarchs out of Sunnyside, they’re well coached, they’re very talented, and they pitched great today.” Starting off the first inning, the Tigers held the Monarch’s scoreless in both the first and second innings. Sunnyside’s defense held strong as Ephrata was also unable to score during this time.

Tigers and Diamond Ducks prepare for end of season tourney

EPHRATA — The Tillage League is heading into postseason play this weekend in Ephrata with the first games starting Thursday morning. The Tigers Baseball Club and the Almira/Coulee-Hartline Diamond Ducks both qualified for the tournament and are putting in preparations for the competition ahead. The tournament is set to be held Thursday through Sunday with four games slated for the first three days and up to three games Sunday for the championships. Gate fee into the tournament is $5 for a full day pass and will act as a fundraiser for the summer baseball program.

Soap Lake Prevention Coalition’s 2026 basketball tourney deemed a success

SOAP LAKE — The Soap Lake Prevention Coalition's 2026 Soaring Eagles 3v3 Vape Awareness Basketball tournament was held Saturday at Smokiam Park. Ryan Boldman, the coordinator for the Soap Lake Prevention Coalition, said this year was the largest turnout since the event began in 2024. “Each year, the tournament has continued to grow in participation, spectatorship, volunteer support and community sponsorship,” said Boldman. The tournament for 2026 featured 21 teams with approximately 84 players participating in the event. Throughout the day, he said there were about 250 players, family members, volunteers and spectators in attendance.

Ballerz win 3-on-3 basketball in Othello

OTHELLO — The annual 3-on-3 Fourth of July basketball tournament was held at Lions Park Saturday afternoon. The tournament featured four teams on a double elimination bracket fighting for the championship title. “I think it went well,” said Jackie Wilhelm, Executive Director at the Othello Chamber of Commerce. “We as a chamber always rely on volunteers and then just them wanting to help and be part of the event.”

WA Rage begin summer softball play finishing third in Spokane

MOSES LAKE — The Washington Rage 16u softball team got their summer season started at the Fourth of July Shootout tournament in Spokane where the team finished third. The Rage looks to find further success as they battle in weekend tournaments through the end of July. “For our first tournament out this season I thought it was pretty good,” said Rage Head Coach Bob Richardson. The Rage started out the weekend against the Spokane Diamonds Herbert. The Diamonds got on the board first with run in the bottom of the third and the Rage responded in the top of the fourth as Kylie Christiansen hit a line drive to score Malorie Lane.

Othello celebrates the Fourth of July

OTHELLO — Lions Park was a busy place Saturday as people from all around the basin gathered to celebrate the Fourth of July. Festivities began at 10 a.m. with the parade down Main Street and continued through the evening, concluding with a fireworks ceremony. “It was definitely a success,” said Jackie Wilhelm, Executive Director for the Othello Chamber of Commerce. “For me one of my favorite things is the parade and just knowing that it’s grown so much from four years ago when I started as the director.” This year’s parade was the largest and longest yet with 55 total entries and some having multiple vehicles, said Wilhelm.

O-Town Volleyball hosts annual 4th of July tourney

OTHELLO — The Othello Fourth of July volleyball tournament was held once again at Lions Park. The tourney, organized by O-Town Volleyball, brought in teams from all around the basin for an afternoon of competitive fun. “I think it went pretty good actually,” said Evelyn Miron, from O-Town Volleyball who helped organize the tournament. “It was a good time.” This year’s tournament was slightly different from how it had operated in previous years, she said. Instead of operating with the typical six-on-six setup, the tournament was four-on-four. This, she felt, made the tournament more competitive.

Othello’s Garza and Gonzalez conclude high school baseball careers in All-State

OTHELLO — In the All-State games held June 27-28, Aiden Garza and Quade Gonzalez from Othello had the opportunity to play on Team Rainier. The two former Huskies are very proud of the opportunity to compete at All-State and are looking forward to what’s coming next in their baseball careers. “It’s an amazing experience and opportunity that not everyone gets,” said Gonzalez. “Definitely no matter the outcome, take advantage of it and have fun.” Both players earned First Team All-League honors in the spring baseball season and qualified to play for Team Yakima in the All-Star game in Richland at the start of the summer. Despite the team taking a loss in the feeder game, both Gonzalez and Garza earned top 10 honors to qualify for the All-State game.

Highlights from summer 2026

MOSES LAKE — Local athletes have been keeping the summer exciting as they test their skills under the hot sun. Here are some highlights from June 2026.

Tigers first wrestling camp deemed a success

EPHRATA — The Ephrata Tigers Wrestling camp was held June 29 through July 1 where young wrestlers came together to practice and learn more about the sport. Tigers Boys Wrestling Head Coach Joe Knox said he was pleased with how the camp turned out. “We had mostly younger boys and then some middle school girls, so we had a good mix of kids, and I thought it went really well,” said Knox. “The kids were really energetic, we had a lot of fun, and we learned a little wrestling along the way.” The main goal for Knox at the camp was to teach the young group of kids the fundamentals and focus on the basic skills of wrestling.

Correia reflects on making All-State team

COULEE CITY — Multiple basin athletes qualified to play in the All-State Baseball Series from June 27-28 in Yakima, with Almira/Coulee-Hartline graduate, Caden Correia being one of them. Correia said he was initially selected for a feeder game ahead of his state qualification. “I was at practice one day, and my head coach (Hunter Lee) came up to me and he’s like, ‘Hey, you got selected for an All State feeder game,’” said Correia. “I actually got invited to two, the Central Washington one and the Spokane one.” Correia said he decided to go with the Spokane feeder game since it was taking place at Avista Stadium and he had a desire to compete at that venue. Once he played there, Correia was informed that he was also selected to play for Team Baker in the All State games, an opportunity that he couldn’t pass up.

World Cup Round of 16 begins this weekend

MOSES LAKE — The World Cup heads into the round of 16 starting early July 4 with a number of highly anticipated matchups coming throughout the weekend. See below five of the matchups slated to be played this weekend.

Team Washington takes gold in Bocce at USA Games

MOSES LAKE — Kirk Wells from the Moses Lake Scorpions Special Olympics and doubles teammate Jodi Boiles from Clarkston had success in Bocce for Team Washington at the USA Games last week. The duo individually claimed fourth place finishes and took home the gold for mixed doubles. “I’m excited for them,” said Moses Lake Scorpions Head Coach Shane Lunderville, who travelled to assist with coaching for Team Washington. “What a great achievement to come and play with all those states and be able to come out like that with the gold.” Both Lunderville and Wells spent one night in Tacoma before heading off to Minnesota. The coach said he appreciated the courtesy that the airlines provided for Team Washington and its 83 delegates including coaches, athletes and other staff as they made their way to the USA games.

Diamond Ducks take two wins over Tigers

EPHRATA — The Almira/Coulee-Hartline Diamond Ducks earned two convincing victories Tuesday evening over the Ephrata Tiger Baseball Club. The Diamond Ducks mounted a comeback to win 7-4 in game one and maintained their momentum to earn a 4-3 victory in game two. "It was great to get two wins,” said Diamond Ducks Head Coach Hunter Lee. “We were very excited about that and against a pretty good team. It was a great night. That was our goal to get two wins and we accomplished that.” The Tigers were first on the board in game one as Isiah Davis singled to score Caleb Froewiss and Casten Iverson was struck by a pitch to score Mitchell Johsnon in the bottom of the first inning. After a scoreless second inning, Ephrata added an additional run in the third after Iverson grounded out to score Froewiss.

Ephrata girls compete at Hoopfest 2026

SPOKANE — Ephrata was well represented at Hoopfest over the weekend with seven teams competing from high school to fifth grade brackets. By the end of the weekend, two of the Ephrata teams claimed second place finishes in their brackets. “I thought they did great,” said Ephrata High School Head Coach Alain Black. “They played well, they played hard and had some good competition, so it was fun to watch.” The two teams to take home the silver were the Tiger Terrors consisting of Summer B, Gwynn F, Tyler W and Brooklynn R and the Hoop Town Girls consisting of Brooke B, Grace K, Emma F and Hallie H.

Knights host summer volleyball camps under new head coach

ROYAL CITY — The Royal Knights volleyball team is hosting an upcoming summer training camp July 6-10. This camp provides an opportunity for the Knights new head coach Melanie Griffin to get to work with her new team. “I’m pretty excited about it,” said Griffin. “I think we have a lot of promise, we have a lot of girls that are playing outside the season. We’re looking pretty good; the future looks bright for us.” Griffin is taking over the program after Lisa Lawrence stepped away from the position during the offseason.

Othello 12u softball off to state

OTHELLO — The Othello 12u Little League All-Star softball team claimed the District 5 championship June 15 and are headed to the Washington State Tournament next weekend. The team has shown strong initiative this summer as they work towards player tough opponents on the west. “I thought that all the girls played really well together for their first tournament as an All-Star team,” said Head Coach Cynthia Ochoa Garza. “They’re a really fun group of girls who I’m excited to see what their future holds. I know they’re only 12, but it kind of gives us glimpses.” This team has been playing together since they were in 10u where they found some success over the years but had always come up short to Asotin in the districts, said Garza. To overcome Asotin this year and become district champions was a major accomplishment to highlight the growth of the players.

Crescent Bar hosting Pickleball tourney

CRESCENT BAR — The Greater Crescent Bar Association is hosting their second annual pickleball tournament this weekend. This year Christie Gilbert, one of the tournament organizers, said the plan is to build off the success of last year’s event. “We started it last year as a family fun event, trying to create some activities here in Crescent Bar, and it went over very well,” said Gilbert. “We had a huge turnout and were super excited about it.” The tournament festivities kick off Friday evening with food and drink specials at Tower Pizza and Sunworks, The Hangar Pub and Sunfire Grille & Lounge. There will also be live music playing throughout the night.

Tigers tie with Chelan Sox after late night doubleheader

EPHRATA — The Ephrata Tiger Baseball Club (9-2-1) completed a late doubleheader against the Chelan Sox Monday night after falling in the first game 5-6 and tying the second game 6-6. Tigers Head Coach David Tempel said it was a highly competitive night of baseball. “There were all kinds of plays in each of them that could have tilted the outcome either way for both teams,” said Tempel. “Sometimes I think you learn more in those close games than you do in a big blowout or something, so I was very pleased with that piece of it.”

AI overreliance is holding back local artists

It’s not often that I’m on social media, honestly the only time I am is usually work related, but in recent times I have noticed a disturbing trend. Most of the posts that I’m seeing these days...are not real.

Moses Lake’s Ecthernkamp wins Pro-Am Bass Tourney

OTHELLO — The Bass Angler Magazine’s Vexus Pro-Am Bass Tournament at the Potholes Reservoir was held over the weekend bringing top anglers from across the west to local waters. The anglers began their competition at 5 a.m. Friday and competed through Sunday afternoon. “Everything went good,” said Mark Lassagne, CEO and Tournament Director for BAM Tournament Trail. “The weather was nice, fishing was good, it was just altogether a smooth event without any issues.” On the pro side of the tournament, Aaron Ecthernkamp from Moses Lake earned the title of Pro Champion for the weekend to earn the grand prize of the $40,000 Mercury-Powered Vexus 1880 fishing boat. Ecthernkamp caught 19.08 lbs the first day, 18.63 lbs the second day and 18.15 lbs the third day for a total weight of 55.86 lbs.

Diamond Ducks fall to KC Cowboys in doubleheader

HARTLINE — The Almira/Coulee-Hartline Diamond Ducks fell in their home doubleheader against the KC Cowboys Thursday afternoon, 0-13 in the first game and 1-2 in the second. Despite the loss, Head Coach Hunter Lee said he is still pleased with what he’s seen from the team so far this season. “They’re a really good team,” said Lee. “We had a chance to win at the end, so really pleased at how we turned around that second one, so it was a very good learning experience for sure.”

Soap Lake Soap Boix Derby set for Suds-N-Sun

SOAP LAKE — The annual Soap Box Derby is being held at 9 a.m. on July 4 as part of the Suds-N-Sun festival. The theme for the derby, along with the rest of the festival, will be based on the United States’ 250th year of independence. “Just need kids to come out, race a few times and have a great time,” said Soap Lake Police Chief Patrick Canady, who is coordinating the event. “It doesn’t cost them anything, just some parent supervision and a little help with the race.”

Tigers host youth wrestling camp

EPHRATA — The Ephrata Tigers announced Wednesday that they will be hosting a youth wrestling camp this summer running from June 29-July 1 from 8:30 a.m. to noon each day at the Ephrata High School PAC Gym. The camp will be open to all incoming second through ninth grade students. “I’ll be in the camp and kind of be the head clinician,” said Tigers Boys Wrestling Head Coach Joe Knox. “We’ll have some of the high school boys in there helping out and just kind of working on basic skills and giving kids an opportunity to get a little wrestling in this summer.”

Tigers claim two wins over Tri-Cities

EPHRATA — The Ephrata Tiger Baseball Club (5-1) earned a pair of victories over the Tri-Cities Badgers 17U team Tuesday evening. Despite a slow start, Tigers Head Coach David Tempel said he was proud of how the team rallied to overcome their opponent. “Anytime you can come away with a couple of wins, it’s always a good night,” said Coach Tempel. “Tri-Cities Prep is always a pretty good ball club, and we were happy to execute when we did.” The Tigers fell behind in the first game as the Badgers scored two in the first inning, one in the second and two in the third. Over the course of these three innings, the Tigers were held scoreless.

WSU’s Nick Lewis named ABCA gold glove award finalist

PULLMAN — Washington State University Cougars’ lefthander Nick Lewis was named one of three finalists for a 2026 ABCA Rawlings Gold Glove, the American Baseball Coaches Association announced Monday. Lewis, along with Ruger Riojas from Texas and Eric Segura from Oregon State are the three pitchers up for the national award, according to a release from WSU Athletic Communications. The award is presented annually to the top defensive players from each division of collegiate and high school baseball. The 2026 NCAA Division I Gold Glove finalists were voted on and selected by the ABCA NCAA Div. I All-America and Coach of the Year Committee. In a release from ABCA, the Gold Glove winners in all divisions were announced Wednesday by Rawlings Sporting Goods. Results of this were unavailable at the time of publication.

BAM hosts Pro-AM Bass tourney at potholes

MOSES LAKE — The Bass Anglers Magazine is returning to the Potholes Reservoir this weekend for the BAM Trail Professional-Amateur Bass Fishing tournament hosted by Mardon Resort. “We try to put on a real solid event,” said Mark Lassagne, BAM CEO and Tournament Director. “Give them really something cool to fish for besides money.” Amateur anglers who signed up by the end of Monday will be paired with a different professional each day of the tournament. The duo will then work together on the pro’s boat to be the top anglers each day.

Erickson looks back on a busy and successful four-sport high school career

WARDEN — A four-sport athlete is not someone you often come across due to the time and dedication it takes for success in one sport, but for Amaya Erickson, tackling that challenge was something she was up for in her senior season. “My family’s always been really big into sports,” said Erickson. “Both my parents have played and my siblings both play, so I guess they’re all a really great inspiration for me.”

Fletcher named new Eagles volleyball head coach

SOAP LAKE — The Soap Lake Eagles volleyball team will be under new leadership this fall as Erin Fletcher has been selected as the new head coach. She is following the successful tenure of the previous head coach, Nikki Noble, who helped guide the team to multiple state appearances over the years. “I’m so excited,” said Fletcher. “I’ve had the opportunity to watch these girls play the last couple years as a (referee). I’m really excited to be able to step in after Coach Noble and continue on that winning and competitive spirit that they’ve had for so long and kind of take it now to the next level.” Her love for athletics came from growing up in an athletic family of basketball players, but in second grade, she became the first in her family to start playing volleyball. From there, a passion for volleyball began to grow.

Tigers start summer 3-1 after split with Sunnyside Christian

EPHRATA — The Ephrata Tiger Baseball Club (3-1) finished their second matchup of the season as they split a doubleheader with Sunnyside Christian Tuesday evening. “I was pleased with a lot of aspects of the doubleheader,” said Tigers Head Coach David Tempel. “The summertime is all about development and getting some experience. The good part about (Tuesday) is we were in some different situations that we haven’t seen much, so we were able to learn from those and use those to our advantage.” Sunnyside was the first on the board during game one as they put up two runs in the top of the second inning. The Tigers responded at the bottom of the third as they put up five runs to claim the lead.

Johnson set to lead young Eagles team for 2026/27

SOAP LAKE — Joe Johnson has been hired as the Soap Lake Eagles new Boys Basketball head coach for the upcoming 2026/27 school year. The new hire said he is excited for the opportunity to start with a young team and help them grow throughout the season. “I’m excited. It’s an opportunity that I’ve been looking forward to,” said Johnson. “I’ve enjoyed basketball throughout my life, I’ve played a lot and it’s my favorite of the things to coach.”

SR 17 closed from fire

UPDATE: As of 6:15 p.m., SR 17 has reopened, but North Lake Road Northeast is still closed due to fire crews fighting the fire. Drivers are still asked to avoid the area and find alternate routes. MOSES LAKE — State Route 17 between Neppel and McConihe Rd has been closed due to a fire in the area and heavy smoke, according to a statement from Grant County Sheriff’s Office. Authorities are asking that people avoid the area and find alternative routes. Officers are on scene working to get the fire under control. More information on the fire will be posted as it comes along.

College athletes prepare for 2026 NCAA Track & Field championships

MOSES LAKE — The college track and field season is coming to an end this week as athletes from around the state are heading to the NCAA Outdoor championships at Hayward Field at the University of Oregon.

GALLERY: Basin spring sports highlights

MOSES LAKE — With spring sports now behind us in the Basin, there’s no shortage of highlight moments executed by local high school athletes. See below some of the photos taken by the Columbia Basin Herald that did not make print until now.

Warden’s 2026 graduates gather together one last time

WARDEN — The class of 2026 celebrated their high school graduation Friday evening as friends and family gathered to celebrate everyone’s academic achievements. The ceremony was both a moment of excitement and sadness as the diverse group of graduates got to spend one last moment together. “I noticed we weren’t exactly the loudest, closest or most group of students,” said class valedictorian Ashley Cruz-Contreras. “We all had our own circles, clicks, routines and lives, but despite all the differences, we are here together tonight, united one last time on the state to close the chapter we started together.” Cruz-Contreras said following graduation, all of the class of 2026 will be heading off to their futures and wherever that takes them. As the class prepares to go on their new journeys, she wanted to thank those who helped guide each of her peers to this point.

Fire breaks out in rural Mattawa prompting potential evacuation

Upcoming summer bass tournaments for summer 2026

MOSES LAKE — With the fishing season well underway, there are many opportunities around the area to participate in fishing tournaments this summer. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and Inland Empire Bass Club shared a few opportunities for anglers to come together this season.

Local athletes battle it out in the Columbia Basin Series All-Star game

RICHLAND — In the Columbia Basin Series All-Star Baseball game Wednesday evening, Team Tri-Cities earned a 20-1 victory over Team Yakima. This game brought together the top senior players from different classifications around the Columbia Basin to compete in one final game before the All-State game. “It feels great,” said Moses Lake player Noah Hernandez who made the Yakima squad. “I’m sharing the field with a bunch of ballers and guys who love to play baseball, so it’s an honor to be on the same field as these guys.” This year, the All-Star team consisted of four local players: Aiden Gonzalez, RJay Garza and Quade Gonzalez from Othello and Hernandez from Moses Lake.

WDFW sets summer salmon and steelhead season rules

MOSES LAKE — The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife announced updates on rules for summer salmon and steelhead season fishing downstream of Highway 395 Bridge at Pasco.

ACH Warriors reflect on another successful season

COULEE CITY — The Almira/Coulee-Hartline Warriors concluded the 2026 baseball season with a 15-8 overall record and went 8-1 in league. Despite a postseason run that ended earlier than expected, there was still a lot that the Warriors were proud of this year. “Overall, it was a good season,” said Head Coach Hunter Lee. “It was challenging at times but also had a lot of good moments as well.” The Warriors went into the regular season with a tough schedule ahead of them as they prepared to face 12 non-conference opponents who were all from higher-classification schools.

UW claims 22nd IRA national championship in rowing

Golf River, California — The University of Washington Huskies men’s varsity eight rowing team won the IRA National Championship Sunday afternoon with a comeback victory that took a full team effort. According to a release from UW athletics, this is the 22nd National Championship in program history and the 10th under Huskies Head Coach Michael Callahan. “That’s as good as it gets,” said Callahan. “I don’t know if I’ve ever coached a faster boat or a more cohesive crew. When you’re a coach, you want to see your guys put it all together in the biggest moments and that’s what they did.” As reported by Regatta Timing, a site that tracked the IRA Championship, during the final events, the UW Richards team took first with a time of 5:44.335 to beat Harvard by 0.683 and the UW Tasker team took first with a time of 5:37.493 to beat California by 1.059. The UW Martin team took second with a time of 5:43.612 and the UW Bosnes team took fourth with a time of 6:32.250.

Quincy Jackrabbits see athletes commit to college

QUINCY — The Quincy Jackrabbits had five athletes commit to colleges Monday afternoon as they prepare to head on to the next step in their athletic careers. Stay tuned to see who signed and what college they will be sharing their skills in tomorrow’s sports section.

Basin Athletes place in the state tournament

MOSES LAKE — Athletes from around the Columbia Basin competed in the track and field state championships in Yakima and Tacoma over the weekend. Below is a list of each of the local competitors from over the weekend.

Basin athletes compete at state track

MOSES LAKE — Athletes from schools all around the Columbia Basin competed in the state championships over the weekend with Ephrata, Moses Lake High School, Othello and Quincy competing in Tacoma and Almira/Coulee-Hartline, Lind-Ritzville, Moses Lake Christian Academy/Covenant Christian School, Royal, Soap Lake and Wahluke competing in Yakima. Full coverage of how each track team did at the state championships will be posted at a later date.

Barnes-Keller looks to continue his successful career in Wenatchee

QUINCY — After a successful senior season, Quincy Jackrabbits pitcher Ashton Barnes-Keller earned Second Team All-Conference honors and is planning to continue his pitching career with the Wenatchee Valley Knights. As the senior heads on to the next step in his career, he looks back on his long-time passion that has opened doors for his future. “I began at age four,” said Barnes-Keller. “After playing (baseball) a lot, it was always so fun. I knew it was going to be my favorite.”

More Basin athletes head to the state meets

MOSES LAKE — Track and field athletes from all around the Basin are competing in state track meets this weekend. Here are more athletes who qualified for the championships during their district meets last weekend.

Othello tennis finishes out season in state

SEATTLE — The Othello Huskies sent three girls to the 2A State Tennis tournament at Nordstrom Tennis Center over the weekend with senior Olivia Harris competing in singles and seniors Shaylee Freeman and Faith Risenmay competing in doubles. All three Huskies had successful seasons and were happy with the opportunity to compete at state. “I think we’ve all worked very hard for four years, so it was fun to be able to all go together because we’re all best friends, and to be able to play at state,” said Risenmay. “We all did really well.”

Warriors end season in second day of state

YAKIMA — The Almira/Coulee-Hartline Warriors finished their softball season during the second day of state with a loss against DeSales in the consolation bracket semifinals. Warriors Head Coach Faye Butler said that the girls battled well throughout the tournament. “As a whole, I think the girls did really great and put everything out there,” said Butler. The Warriors started off their state bid Friday with a first-round bye as the third seed putting them into the quarterfinals against the Colton Wildcats. ACH started off strong by scoring three runs in the first inning, but as the game went on, Colton gained momentum and scored three runs in the third inning and five runs in the fourth inning.

Huskies, Jacks and Tigers athletes qualify for state track championships

QUINCY — The Ephrata Tigers, Othello Huskies and Quincy Jackrabbits competed in the 2A District 5 Track meet last week to determine which athletes will be heading to the state tournament in Tacoma. After the events were finished, all three teams saw athletes qualify for the championships.