A five game losing streak – four in league play – to close the season shut the door on the postseason for Medical Lake’s AA American Legion baseball team.
Medical Lake dropped their final four Federal League contests to finish 10-10 and in third place behind champion West Kootenay (16-2) from Trail, British Columbia and 16-4 Colville.
They dropped a doubleheader at Pullman last Tuesday 13-1 and 7-6 before watching Colville win a pair 6-3 and 13-8 Friday at Holliday Field in Medical Lake. Sunday, Cheney won a nonleague rivalry game 14-7.
“The team had a great summer,” head coach Kerry Kelly said. “We played a lot of games and the boys all improved.”
Friday in game one, Colville scored in each of the first five innings. The visitors led 6-1 before a three-run fourth allowed Medical Lake to close it to 6-4.
Colville, however, broke the game open in the fifth with five runs and led 11-4. They’d add another two runs in the top of the seventh to lead 13-4 before Medical Lake got four in their final at bat.
Joey Beamer, Jack Walker, Tristin Keith and Tyler Munden each had a pair of hits for Medical Lake in the opener. But timely hitting was scarce. Medical Lake left the bases loaded in the second and did so with no outs but could only get one run.
Errors were costly to Medical Lake in the opener where they had five, and again in the nightcap with six miscues that played a part in Colville bolting to a 6-0 lead.
Cory Wagner went the distance on the mound. Nathan Sorci, Cade Weber and Walker each had two hits with Walker’s totals including a double.
No details were available from the Pullman games.
Kelly has often said his summer program is a time for building for the following spring high school season. That concept paid off this past season when his Cardinals made it to the quarterfinals in the state playoffs.
“I am looking forward to next spring we could be starting maybe seven sophomores who all played a lot of innings this summer,” Kelly said.
Paul Delaney can be reached at pdelaney@cheneyfreepress.com.
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