Little League Roundup: Season ends for three East County Little League teams

Montesano’s 9-11 team elminated from state tourney; Elma’s 8-10, 50/70 teams fall in postseason play

Little League postseason play ended for three East County teams as we review this week’s action.

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9-11 Division State Tournament in West Richland

Elimination Game

Montesano 9, Camas 8

A clutch hit in the bottom of the sixth inning kept Montesano’s season alive with a 9-8 win over Camas in a Little League 9-11 Division State Tournament elimination game on Monday in West Richland.

Tied at 8-8 with no outs and the bases loaded, Monte’s Micah Eaton lined a 1-0 pitch to left field, scoring Tyson Jones with the game-winning run for a 9-8 walk-off victory.

Monte had to battle back after falling behind 8-1 after three-and-a-half innings, but a run in the bottom of the fourth on a Raider Warne RBI ground out followed by a six-run burst in the fifth – paced the RBI doubles from Connor Jelovich, Ryker Chatham and Blake Rogich – tied the game at 8-all going into the bottom of the sixth.

Walks to Jones and Lucas Graves sandwiched around Trey Chapman reaching base on an error, set up Eaton’s late-game heroics.

Eaton also picked up the win, allowing no runs on one hit with a strikeout in pitching a scoreless top of the sixth inning.

Camas 007 100 – 8 8 2

Montesano 100 161 – 9 12 5

WP – Micah Eaton (IP, 0R, H, K). LP – n/a

Leading hitters: Montesano – Eaton (3-3, 2R, RBI); Blake R (3-3, 2R, RBI); Pascoe (2-3, 2B, 2RBI); Connor J (1-1, 2B, R, RBI); Maruska (1-3); Ryker C (1-3, 2B, R, 3RBI); Lucas G (1-2, R).

Bonney Lake/Sumner 22, Montesano 14

A disastrous extra-inning frame led to the end of Montesano’s season with a 22-14 loss to Bonney Lake/Sumner on Tuesday in West Richland.

In what was a sloppy, high-scoring affair, Montesano led 12-9 in the top of the sixth, but failed to secure the final three outs as Bonney Lake/Sumner rallied for three two-out runs to tie the game.

After the Monte side was retired 1-2-3 in the bottom of the sixth, the game went to extra innings.

Monte’s fortunes worsened in the top of the seventh as Bonney Lake/Sumner scored 10 runs on four hits, three errors and six walks by Montesano pitchers.

Monte’s defense committed seven errors in the game, leading to 10 unearned runs.

Bonney Lake/Sumner’s defense made six errors, which Monte converted into eight unearned runs.

Monte’s offense was led by Shayde Pascoe, who had a double and a two-run home run in the game, and Madden Maruska, who had two hits including a two-run home run in Monte’s six-run bottom of the third.

Bonney Lake/Sumner 504 003 (10) – 22 16 6

Montesano 016 500 2 – 14 11 7

WP – n/a. LP – LaLonde (0 IP, 3R, 3ER, 0H, 3BB).

Leading hitters: Montesano – Pascoe (2-4, 2B, HR, R, 2RBI); Maruska (2-4, HR, 2R, 2RBI); Eaton (2-3, 2R); Rogich (2-4, R, 2RBI); Chatham (1-3, 2R, RBI); Lalka (1-3, 3R, RBI); Chapman (1-2, RBI).

West Region Intermediate Tournament in Nogales, Arizona

Playoff Game

Abbott-O-Rabbit (Alaska) 5, Elma (Washington) 3

State-champion Elma’s run into the Little League Intermediate 50/70 West Region Tournament ended with a 5-3 first-round playoff loss to Abbott-O-Rabbit Little League (Anchorage, Alaska) on Tuesday in Nogales.

Trailing 4-0 entering the fourth inning, Elma rallied for a pair of runs when Izaiah Clarkston scored on a passed ball followed by a Logan Rothmeyer fielder’s choice RBI ground out to score Falen Verville to make it a 4-2 game.

After AOR scored a run in the bottom of the fourth on a two-out single, Elma’s Grahm Rupe drove in Jett Vansyckle with a sacrifice fly in the top of the sixth to cut Alaska’s lead to 5-3.

Elma’s Parker Anensen drew a walk with two outs to bring the tying run to the plate in the top of the seventh, but was thrown out trying to steal second to end the game and Elma’s incredible postseason run.

Elma, which went 3-1 in the tournament’s pool play, managed just one base hit in the game and allowed four unearned runs on six errors.

Elma 000 201 0 – 3 1 6

AOR 202 100 x – 5 3 3

WP – n/a. LP – Rothmeyer (5.1 IP, 5R, ER, 3H, 11K, BB).

Leading hitters: Elma – Rupe (1-2, RBI); Rothmeyer (0-3, RBI).

8-10 Division State Tournament in Poulsbo

Elimination Games

Elma 13, Anacortes 1

Elma avoided elimination with a 13-1 mercy-rule victory over Anacortes on Monday in Poulsbo.

Elma’s offense erupted for 13 runs over the first three innings, taking advantage of seven Anacortes walks in the victory.

Noah Lisle opened the scoring with a bases-clearing three-run triple in Elma’s five-run bottom of the first followed by a Chase Sample three-run triple for an 8-0 lead in the bottom of the second.

Elma added five runs on four singles, a walk, a hit batter and an error to go up 13-0 and put the game in run-rule territory after three innings.

Lisle allowed one earned run on two hits with two walks and six strikeouts in four innings pitched to earn the win.

Chase Sample led Elma’s offense, going 2-for-2 with a triple, a run scored and three RBI.

Anacortes 000 1 – 1 2 2

Elma 535 x – 13 7 0

WP – Lisle (4 IP, R, ER, 2H, 6K, 2BB). LP – n/a.

Leading hitters: Elma – Ch. Sample (2-2, 3B, R, 3RBI); Lisle (1-2, R, 3B, 3RBI); Smith (1-1, 2R); Anensen (1-1, R, RBI); Jones (1-2, R); Riedesel (1-2, R, RBI); Vansyckle (0-1, 2R, 2BB).

West Plains 8, Elma 5

Missed chances proved costly in Elma’s 8-5 season-ending loss in a state-tournament elimination game on Tuesday in Poulsbo.

Elma played from behind the entire night, trailing 7-0 after three innings only to claw back into the game.

Elma broke the shutout bid when Chris Riedesel drove in Miles Jones with a single in the bottom of the fourth followed by an Dane Oatman RBI ground out to make it a 7-2 game.

One inning later, Elma added a pair of runs on a Tucker Anensen RBI single followed by a Jones RBI ground out to cut the deficit to 7-4.

Two straight one-out walks gave Elma a golden opportunity to further cut into the lead, but back-to-back strikeouts put an end to Elma’s fifth-inning rally.

Both teams added a run in the sixth, with Noah Lisle pushing across Chase Sample with an RBI fielder’s choice ground out.

But despite drawing 14 walks in the game, Elma couldn’t complete the comeback and fell to West Plains 8-5.

Chase Sample took the loss for Elma, allowing seven runs – five earned – on six hits with a pair of walks and two strikeouts in four innings pitched.

Michael Modersohn allowed one earned run on two hits with three walks and two strikeouts in two innings pitched for Elma.

West Plains 412 001 – 8 8 2

Elma 000 221 – 5 4 6

WP – n/a. LP – Ch. Sample (4 IP, 7R, 5ER, 6H, 2K, 2BB).

Leading hitters: Elma – Lisle (1-4, R, RBI); Anensen (1-3, RBI); Jones (1-3, R, RBI); Riedesel (1-1, RBI); Osgood (0-0, R, 3BB); Oatman (0-2, RBI, BB); Smith (0-1, R, 3BB).

PHOTO COURTESY OF MONTESANO LITTLE LEAGUE 
Montesano’s Shayde Pascoe (left) and Madden Maruska hold up their home-run balls after a loss to Bonney Lake/Sumner in the Little League 9-11 Division State Tournament on Tuesday in West Richland.

PHOTO COURTESY OF MONTESANO LITTLE LEAGUE Montesano’s Shayde Pascoe (left) and Madden Maruska hold up their home-run balls after a loss to Bonney Lake/Sumner in the Little League 9-11 Division State Tournament on Tuesday in West Richland.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ELMA LITTLE LEAGUE
Elma’s Intermediate all-star team poses for a photo after a season-ending loss to Alaska at the West Region Tournament on Tuesday in Nogales, Arizona.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ELMA LITTLE LEAGUE Elma’s Intermediate all-star team poses for a photo after a season-ending loss to Alaska at the West Region Tournament on Tuesday in Nogales, Arizona.