ACH wins first 1B title
Year of firsts ends with championship
YAKIMA – The Almira/Coulee-Hartline Warriors made their first state tournament visit in five years count, clubbing Colton 8-3 on Saturday to win the State 1B baseball championship at Parker Field.
The title ended a year of firsts for the Warriors (14-7). They recorded their first two state tournament wins last weekend and knocked off perhaps the most storied small school program in the state – Colton has made eight championship-game appearances and has 13 top-three finishes – to win their first state title.
The Colton (12-12) loss stopped any chance of a Wildcats sweep of the spring ball sports and derailed their hopes of a fourth title in school history. The Wildcats’ girls won their second straight softball state title earlier in the day just across town, beating ACH, 18-9, in the semifinals.
The Warriors sent 15 men to the plate in the second and third innings, scoring seven runs. Dylan Tipps had two-run doubles in both frames to lead the way. Daniel Hardy also had a two-run double in the third inning. Tipps was 4 for 4 on the night with three doubles.
Meanwhile, Warriors starting pitcher Kody Dillon got stronger as the game wore on, baffling Colton with an assortment of off-speed offerings. After giving up a first-inning run, Dillon worked his way through the next five innings while allowing just two hits.
“He did that last week with Wilbur too,” ACH coach Stuart Gloyn said of Dillon, who held Wilbur-Creston to four runs in the semifinals after the Wildcats scored 17 in the first round. “He was working with a sense of purpose tonight.”
Gloyn shared that Dillon lost a grandfather to whom he was particularly close earlier this year and that the senior right-hander was taking care of his mound business with a renewed sense of focus.
Dillon noted that his teammates bolstered his confidence with their play behind him.
“It’s easy for me to pitch because I have such a great defense behind me,” Dillon said as he balanced the large traveling state championship trophy and his glove with the game ball in it. “My arm was getting sore at the end but I managed.”
Dillon tired noticeably in the seventh inning, allowing two runs and walking two batters but he closed the inning with two strikeouts – his seventh and eighth of the contest.