The Chehalis 12U All-Star Team’s summer season came to an end on Wednesday, as Chehalis was beaten 16-4 by North Kitsap in an elimination quarterfinal.
Heading into Tuesday, Chehalis was just three wins away from a state championship and a trip to Regionals, but losses to North Central and North Kitsap ended their run.
“For us to make the state tournament was pretty special,” coach Dan Hill said. “They started to play really good baseball and it was fun to watch them get better every day.”
North Kitsap came out of the gates swinging with three runs in the top of the first, but Chehalis immediately matched it with three runs of its own in the bottom half.
That trend did not continue, as North Kitsap retook the lead with four in the second before adding nine runs in the final two innings. Chehalis, on the other hand, added just one in the fourth.
“We hit the ball hard, just right at people,” Hill said. “They had a little bit better of a day than us. Our boys played hard and competed, it just kinda got away from us there.”
Hill said that there is still plenty to be proud of for this group, which was just the fourth Chehalis squad to win the district tournament and make it to the state tournament in the last 20 years.
“Just proud of the growth the boys have had,” Hill said. “What makes it special is that we don’t draw from other schools like these other teams draw from … We draw from Chehalis High School.
“For our boys to compete the way they did, win a game at state, and get fifth is a pretty special deal for us. I couldn’t be more proud of the boys.”
