In the end and despite a number of high points, the Spokane Blue Devils AAA American Legion baseball team will consider their 2015 season one where they just might have underachieved.
The Blue Devils season came to an end in the playoffs for the Spokane league losing 14-5 to the Northstars, beating the N.E. 49ers 10-0 in a July 13 doubleheader but being eliminated 10-0 by the Cannons July 14 in the double-elimination tournament.
“I’m sure everyone would say this. We all had higher expectations of our ability,” head coach Steve Hare said. “I felt like we didn’t achieve those in the last couple of games.”
The Blue Devils finished 26-21 overall and 7-5 in Spokane AAA league play.
The year was one of streaks of success, and fits of frustration. At one juncture the Blue Devils won seven consecutive games and 11 of 12, reaching the quarterfinals of the July Fourth Wood Bat Classic and being runners-up at the Belgrade, Mont. Tournament. They were also surprise runners-up at a tournament in Boise, despite bringing only12 players.
The season was a grind as in the final 25 days of the season between June 19 and July 14, they played 32 games.
“The last 3-4 weeks, it was six days of the week playing baseball, some of those days playing doubleheaders, Mondays generally being a day where we kind of took a breath before we hit it up again that Tuesday,” Hare said.
Four players stayed home for the Boise tournament. “I was a little uncertain taking 12 guys down there,” Hare said. “I was kind of going through pitchers that we had and arms, it’s going to be tight.”
A long six-hour drive to Boise seemed to play into the opening day 7-2 loss to the Boise Capitals. But the Blue Devils rebounded to win their next four, earning the berth based on record and runs against.
Spokane defeated Elko, Nev. 6-0, the Boise Senators 9-2, scored a 3-1 win over the BK Bombers and wrapped up pool play with a 7-2 victory over the Vallivue Titans to earn the right to meet the Nampa Chiefs.
As feared, Hare did run out of regular pitching arms. He put regular catcher Griffin Bacon on the mound in the championship game, a 15-1 loss, to Nampa. Bacon’s battery mate was Medical Lake’s Brayden Hale, normally a second baseman.
The Boise success was maybe cancelled out by general fatigue in the league playoffs which began July 13, one day and a nearly 500 mile drive removed from Boise.
In their opener against the Northstars, the Blue Devils were tied 5-5 going into the eighth inning when the visitors erupted for seven runs in the 14-5 victory.
The Blue Devils stayed alive with their easy win over the 49ers but two big innings, a four-run first and a five-run fourth were too much to overcome versus the Cannons.
“Overall I’m very happy with how we did and look forward to bringing back some of those guys next year,” Hare said.
A number of the members of the team, including both Medical Lake recruits, Brayden Hale and Cory Wagner, have told Hare they plan to return. “That’s a very positive things going into next year,” he said.
Hale and Wagner played key roles throughout the season for the Blue Devils. “They earned it,” Hare said. In the final nine games Wagner finished 9 for 28 with six runs scored. Hale played in seven of those contests and went 6 for 20 with two runs scored and five RBIs.
“They were very much a focal point to our team,” Hare said. “I was happy to have them around.”
2015 was Hare’s first full-length season from start to finish. In his first year as coach he took over the program late and was unable to put his personal stamp on things.
Overall Hare is happy with the season, but like any endeavor there are things that he sees that can be tinkered with. “There’s a few things I want to tweak going into next year to make it run even more smooth,” Hare said.
“It was nice to be able to provide very affordable summer baseball for the guys,“ Hare said. “That’s my ultimate goal.”
Paul Delaney can be reached at [email protected].
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