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The path was a little more strenuous. The level of competition increased. Even the amount of games saw an uptick.
About the only thing that remained constant was the end result.
A year after dominating the 16U American Legion Baseball state tournament bracket, the same cast of characters for Awesome Chevrolet 18U snared back-to-back first place finishes with a 7-6 triumph over the Walla Walla Bruins in the title game on Thursday afternoon in Kennewick.
“We just competed,” head coach of the Chehalis-based club Elijah Johnson said. “We knew this group would be one we circle, have some hardware and have a lot of opportunities to win some games. They’ve been playing together forever, they know their roles.
“Proud of Chehalis and the kids. Thank you to Awesome Chevrolet, we appreciate them a lot.”
It marked the third one-run victory of the week for Awesome Chevy. It rebounded from a 5-0 shutout loss against the Mount Spokane Wild on Monday and won four straight elimination games, including two on Wednesday.
The Trailblazers opened Thursday’s championship bout with a three-run top of the first, capped by an Ayden Jacobson two-RBI single with two outs. Walla Walla ended up tying the contest at 4-4 and 6-6.
Another two-out rally put Awesome Chevy in front for good in the seventh.
After courtesy runner Adam Elder moved into scoring position on a passed ball and Reece Marquez single, leadoff hitter Jack Becker ripped a 2-2 breaking ball to left field for the game-winning run. Cody Schwarz shut down the Bruins 1-2-3 in the bottom half to ignite the celebration.
“I know what I am getting from him. He is a great player to coach,” Johnson said of Becker. “Even when he is not at his best, he’ll still get on base. I love the way he plays the game.”
Gage Wiens had three hits for the Trailblazers in their final game of the summer while Holden Kunz roped a triple. Hayden Rooney tossed five innings on the bump and struck out five while working around five hits, four total runs and a pair of walks.
“There were 2-3 guys that could hurt us in that lineup,” Johnson said of Walla Walla. “Attack the other guys with fastballs. Him executing his pitches was huge.”
The tournament started last Saturday for the Trailblazers with a dominant 17-6 win over a Hermiston team, which featured an eight-run top of the third where the first nine hitters reached base. Schwarz went 3-for-4 with three RBIs while Wiens crossed home plate four times.
They took advantage of six hit by pitches, five wild pitches and also stole six bases.
Against the Yakima Valley Peppers on Sunday, eight of Awesome Chevy’s runs came between the second, third and fourth innings. Jacobson shined with two doubles, three RBIs, two runs scored and a stolen base.
“High energy game, kids came out fast and it was chippy,” Johnson said. “We’ve played those games in the past with that club. Super competitive.”
Then came the lone loss of the week. Johnson could sense the energy shift in leaving the field and returning on Tuesday, knowing what was at stake.
“You have to clear the mechanism and go back to work the next day,” he stated. “The kids enjoyed (having their) backs against the wall.”
The Mount Vernon Riverdogs erased a 4-1 deficit to tie the game against the Trailblazers in the top of the seventh. Then in the bottom half, Wiens ended up as the first hero of the week.
On the second pitch of his at-bat, he lifted a single into left field for the walk-off hit to keep Awesome Chevy alive in the tournament. Wiens also tossed five innings on the mound and worked around four hits and four walks to allow one unearned run.
Blake Jacobson delivered the winning hit for the Trailblazers in the second contest against the Peppers and Wyatt Hoffman tossed a complete game shutout versus Mt. Spokane on 92 pitches to put them in the title game and avenge their earlier setback.
“If we got a quick lead on them, we’d take them out of their small ball game,” Johnson said of Mt. Spokane. “Wyatt smothered them, he didn’t give them any room to breathe.”
While the core group of the summer roster has yet to experience the same feeling for W.F. West during the high school season, Johnson is more than optimistic about what the next two years can bring.
“They love to go compete and just play baseball,” he said. “Looking for special things from them in the next couple of years.”
