Elma Pony League team wins Northwest regional, falls in West Region tournament

Last season’s Little League state champs prove it was no fluke after league switch

By Ryan Sparks • August 12, 2024 3:00 am
SUBMITTED PHOTO The Elma 14U Pony League team finished its season with a northwest region title and 15-3 record. Pictured are (bottom row, from left): Ryder Lessard, Cruz Vargas, Jordan Lisle, Grahm Rupe, Hunter Lessard, Bryston Crawford. Top row: Head Coach Mike Lisle, Jackson Bucy, Pablo “Micah” Salvatierra, Gavin Muir, Jace Gustafson, Assistant Coach Zach Rupe, James Modersohn, Troy Rupe, Treycen Sample, Assistant Coach Bryan Crawford.
SUBMITTED PHOTO The Elma 14U Pony League team finished its season with a northwest region title and 15-3 record. Pictured are (bottom row, from left): Ryder Lessard, Cruz Vargas, Jordan Lisle, Grahm Rupe, Hunter Lessard, Bryston Crawford. Top row: Head Coach Mike Lisle, Jackson Bucy, Pablo “Micah” Salvatierra, Gavin Muir, Jace Gustafson, Assistant Coach Zach Rupe, James Modersohn, Troy Rupe, Treycen Sample, Assistant Coach Bryan Crawford.

Last summer, a group of boys from Elma captured the city’s imagination with an unprecedented run to win a Little League state championship.

They were back at it this year and the results were much the same.

Last season’s Little League Intermediate state champs have now won titles in two different leagues after finishing the summer with a Pony League Pacific Northwest Region championship and trip to the West Region Tournament in West Covina, California.

Showing experience under a state-tournament spotlight, Elma ran the table in the 14-and-under Pacific Northwest Region Tournament in late June, a competition that covers Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington and Wyoming.

Elma earned the top seed after going 4-0 in pool play, winning by a combined score of 58-6, including a 25-0 route over the Whatcom County Mudcats to lock up the No. 1 playoff seed on June 29 in Olympia.

The East County standouts’ pool-play results were sparkling, opening the tournament with a 12-4 win over the Capital City Senators followed by a 15-1 victory over the Whatcom County Mudcats Black, with Cruz Vargas going a combined 7 for 9 with four runs scored and five RBI in the first two games.

Led by a 2 for 2 effort by Micah Salvatierra and a combined three-hitter by pitchers Jace Gustafson, Ryder Lessard and Vargas, Elma beat the Whatcom County Wildcats 3-1 in Game 3, in what would turn out to be Elma’s closest contest of the tournament.

Elma closed out pool play with a 25-0 rout over the Whatcom County Mudcats, with Jace Gustafson (3-3, 3 2B, 2RBI, 2SB), Treycen Sample (3-3, 4R, 3RBI), Gavin Muir (2-2, R, 2RBI), Jackson Bucy (2-3, 4R, 3RBI) and Hunter Young (2R, 4RBI) having standout performances for Elma.

Bucy and Grahm Rupe combined to allow just one hit with six strikeouts in the victory.

Top-seeded Elma then blanked the Capital City Senators 4-0 in the title game on June 30 to claim the championship. Elma’s Bryston Crawford pitched a complete-game shutout, allowing just two hits while striking out 12 and went 2 for 3 with two RBI to lead Elma to victory.

Pitching was a strength for Elma throughout the tournament as seven different pitchers combined to allow 13 hits with 43 strikeouts and hold their opponents to a .135 batting average, good enough for a 0.70 ERA.

The offense was not to be outdone, sporting a .466 batting average with 62 hits and 43 stolen bases as a team.

Elma then headed south to West Covina, California to compete in the West Region Tournament August 1-4.

Down 10-1 to Santa Cruz, California in the bottom of the fifth inning of Game 1, Elma rallied to score 11 runs in the fifth through sixth innings before falling short 13-12.

Bucy went 2 for 4 with five RBI including a clutch grand slam home run in the bottom of the fifth.

Troy Rupe had a three-run triple in the sixth and drove in three runs whole Jordan Lisle scored three runs and had two steals for Elma.

The East County all-stars were eliminated from the tournament after a 15-0 loss to Hawaii in Game 2 on August 2.

Elma’s potent offense was held to just two hits in the game and – despite what head coach Mike Lisle said was “two spectacular catches” by Lessard in right field – Elma couldn’t keep Hawaii off the scoreboard as the islanders recorded 11 hits as a team.

Elma ended the season with a 15-3 overall record.