The incredible run of the Elma Little League Intermediate all-stars came to an end in the playoff round of the West Regional on Tuesday in Nogales, Arizona.
Little League Intermediate West Regional
Round 4
Douglas (Arizona) 13, Elma, (Washington) 3
An early lead fell by the wayside as Elma found it difficult to slow Douglas’ offense in a 13-3 loss in the Eagles’ final round-robin game on Monday in Nogales, Arizona.
Elma got the early advantage when leadoff hitter Jordan Lisle walked and later scored on a double by Troy Rupe in the bottom of the first.
After Douglas took a 2-1 lead with a walk, a triple and a single in the top half of the second, Elma responded immediately.
Jackson Bucy led off the second with a single and was on third with two outs when Jace Gustafson strode to the plate and lined a sharp single into center field, scoring Bucy to tie the game at 2-2.
Later in the inning, Gustafson came home on a balk call to give Elma a 3-2 lead.
But Douglas’ offense would not be denied, quickly tying the game at 3-3 on back-to-back doubles to lead off the third and took a 7-3 lead after runs scored on a single, two wild pitches and a fielder’s choice ground out.
Elma ran into more trouble in the fifth when Douglas scored six runs – helped by two errors, two walks, two doubles and a balk – to secure a 13-3 mercy-rule victory.
Rupe led Elma’s offense, going 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI.
Douglas drew five walks in the game and five of its nine hits went for extra bases.
Douglas 025 06x x – 13 9 2
Elma 120 00x x – 3 6 3
WP: n/a. LP: Young (2 IP, 7 R, 7 ER, 5 H, 3 BB, 2 K).
Leading hitters: Elma – Rupe (2-3, 2B, RBI); Lisle (1-2, R); Bucy (1-2, R); Gustafson (1-2, R, RBI); Lessard (1-1).
PHOTO COURTESY OF ELMA LITLE LEAGUE The Elma Intermediate all-star team stands on the first-base line during a Little League West Regional quarterfinal game against Woodland, California on Tuesday in Nogales, Arizona.
Little League Intermediate West Regional
Quarterfinals
Woodland (Northern California) 7, Elma (Washington) 6
Elma’s magical postseason run ended with a 7-6 loss to Woodland, California in the single-elimination quarterfinal round of the Little League Intermediate West Regional on Tuesday.
Playing much more free and loose, sixth-seeded Elma trailed 2-0 after the first inning but scored a run in the top of the third on a Gustafson single followed by two runs in the fourth on a two-run, two-out double off the bat of Trey Sample.
But the lead was short-lived as Elma starting pitcher Bryston Crawford, who had held No. 3 Woodland to just one run on four hits and two walks through the first three innings, hit Woodland’s leadoff batter and allowed a two-run home run one batter later.
With the bases loaded and one out later in the frame, Elma’s defense came up clutch when shortstop Gustafson recorded an out at second then threw home to Bucy to mow down a runner trying to score, recording an inning-ending double play.
Woodland took a 7-3 lead on two run-scoring singles and an unearned run coming across on an error in the bottom of the fifth. But as it did in both the district and state tournaments when facing elimination, Elma clawed its way back.
Bucy doubled to score Lisle and Rupe – on board with consecutive singles – to make it a 7-5 game with one out in the sixth.
The hot-hitting Sample then belted a 1-0 pitch to the center-field wall, scoring Bucy with a clutch two-out triple and putting Elma within one run at 7-6.
Elma reliever James Modersohn pitched a flawless bottom of the sixth to give the Eagles a chance in their final at-bat.
With one out in the seventh, Hunter Young singled but was caught stealing second with Gustafson at the dish. Gustafson then walked and was followed with Ryder Lessard reaching on a hit by pitch.
With the tying run on second and go-ahead run at first, Russell struck out to end the game, putting an end to the Elma all-stars’ postseason run.
”That was kind of the matchup we wanted with where we knew the seeding may fall,” Elma head coach Mike Lisle said. “We knew it would be a battle and we just fell short in the last inning.”
Young went a perfect 3-3 with Sample recording a double, a triple and driving in three runs for Elma.
Elma 001 203 0 – 6 10 1
Woodland 200 230 x – 7 8 0
WP: n/a. LP: Crawford (3 IP, 4 R, 4 ER, 5 H, 4 BB, K).
Leading hitters: Elma – Young (3-3), Sample (2-3, 3B, 2B, 3 RBI); Rupe (2-2, 2 R); Bucy (1-3, 2B, R, 2 RBI); Lisle (1-2, 2 R); Gustafson (1-2, RBI); Modersohn (0-2, R, BB).
What a fun ride it’s been
For Elma players and coaches, the trip to a Little League West Regional – the first for any team in Grays Harbor County in recent memory – was one they won’t soon forget.
”I don’t think there was a dry eye in the whole group, players and coaches,” Coach Lisle said. “When we got done, I told them, ‘OK, now I’m done being coach. Now, I’m dad and I’m proud of you guys. I love you boys,’ and we all feel the same about each and every one of them. … I told them, ‘This is something you might not understand yet, but there is a whole town and a whole county and people from out of state that are rooting for you guys and just enjoy it and cherish it. It’s not something everybody gets to do. … Hold your head high, be proud and continue to work. This is only the beginning. Continue to work with each other.’”
Elma had arguably the toughest draw in the tournament as it faced three of the tournament’s four semifinal teams in round-robin play.
Facing the likes of No. 1 Pearl City (Hawaii), No. 2 Encinitas (Southern California) and No. 4 Douglas (Arizona), the Elma Little Leaguers were a bit intimidated on the bigger stage.
“It was definitely a lot more nerve-wracking. … It was different than what we were used to,” Elma infielder Jordan Lisle said. “So it was more fun but also kind of scary. We were all hoping to do good. We knew the competition was going to be a lot better and it wasn’t going to be easy. We prepared for it to be hard. We battled it out at the end and gave it our all.”
“I think the stage got to the boys a little bit, and us too. We had to work through that the first couple of games,” Coach Lisle said. “One of the things I noticed were some of these kids were just polished. These teams are really good. You can’t make a mistake, they capitalize.”
Coach Lisle and his staff realized they needed to keep their players’ heads in a good state of mind after suffering three mercy-rule defeats after opening the tournament with a 6-3 win over Klamath Falls, Oregon.
“It wasn’t a beating, per se, it was just a constant pressure the whole time, and I think the boys knew the competition they were facing. They knew they had to play mistake free. They played those teams a little tight,” Coach Lisle said. “We just kept trying to get them to have fun and keep them loose.”
Coach Lisle said he started to see his team ease up and play the style of baseball Elma fans have become accustomed to.
“I think in the other games, we battled the nerves,” he said. “When we played Douglas, Arizona, you could start to see them get loose and start to play.”
After a heart-to-heart talk with the team after the loss to Douglas, Coach Lisle said he saw a difference against No. 3 Woodland.
“We just had a heart-to-heart with them and told them, ‘Now we’re in single elimination guys. We have to give it our all and we have to stay focused. … No matter what, we are proud of you,’” he said. “(Against Woodland) they came in ready to go and it showed. They were much more relaxed and were playing good baseball. The team baseball that we’re used to playing.”
Though the loss ends their season, the Elma all-stars will stay in Arizona through Friday, with plans that include a team party at Dave N Busters, a trip to the local In N Out and a possible visit to Tombstone’s famous O.K. Corral.
Coach Lisle said his team is already pondering reaching similar heights next season.
“They’re already asking ‘Where are regionals next year? If we go, would it be in Arizona again?’” he said.
For Jordan Lisle, the best part of the experience was enjoying it with his “brothers on the team.”
“Just being on the field with people from all over the western region and being with my brothers during this exciting time (are the fondest memories),” he said before offering some sage advice. “I would say never give up on your dreams because if you work hard enough, they can come true.”
For his father and head coach, the support from the community – both locally and across the state – is something he will always be thankful for.
“I want to say thank you for all the support, not only financially, but being there with us,” he said, noting all the family, friends and fans that watched the games through multiple streaming platforms and provided positive feedback through social media. “It just means a lot to know all the well-wishes and positive messages that got to the boys, we knew from all the way down in Arizona that we could feel the support and love from everybody back home.”
