The Lower Columbia baseball team couldn't get the big hits at the right time.

The Devils lost to Everett 6-1 on Sunday May 29th, knocking them out of the NWAC Championship tournament at Story Field.  LCC went 2-2 in the tournament and finished the season 35-14.

The Devil action at the tournament got underway on Thursday May 26th against Bellevue.  LCC scored four runs in the first inning and Kade Kryzsko took it from there going seven innings of shutout ball allowing just five hits. LCC downed Bellevue 9-0.

Anthony Brink went the final two frames allowing no hits with four strikeouts.

Leading the LCC offense was Lorin Archibald with three hits and an RBI.  Benny Kaleiwahea had two hits including an RBI double. Taylor Davis also had an RBI double.

Friday's game was a division rival classic. Tyler Parsons threw eight innings of shutout ball. Kennan Lum of Pierce matched goose eggs as the tense battle was decided in the 9th.

Pierce took the lead with a single tally in the top of the 9th off reliever Max Tilton.  The Devils then responded with three straight hits to shock the Raiders.  Archibald hit a single followed by a Kade Kryzsko double that put the tying and winning runs in scoring position.  Garrett Myers came through with a basehit to shallow left field winning the game for LCC and setting off pandemodium at Story Field. Lower Columbia won the game 2-1.

That feeling was reversed on Saturday May 28th.  Yakima Valley Yaks pitcher Hunter Boyd and Devil lefty Joel Worden again matched zeros through eight innings. Worden allowed just four hits until Parker Depasquale came through with an RBI single to win it in the bottom of the 9th, 1-0.  Just hours after feeling the walk-off excitement, the Devils had to watch the Yaks do it to them.

Faced with elimination on Sunday May 29th, the Devils lost to Everett 6-1.  At one point after five innings, LCC had 1 run on 10 hits.  The Trojans had two runs on just one hit.

Devil starter Alex Torson was effective, going  5 1/3 innings before being lifted trailing 3-1.  Tilton had his first rough outing of the season, allowing three runs on six hits in 2 2/3 innings. It was the first earned runs the sophomore righthander had given up all season long.

Cameron Campbell led LCC with three hits.  Archibald and Davis had two hits each.

Despite the disapointment of not achieving back-to-back titles, the Devils were still outstanding again in 2016.  The Devils were third in the conference with an ERA of 2.82.  The LCC team was 4th in batting average at .289. The final RPI has LCC at number two with a 0.550.

Several Red Devils will be moving on to the next level and some key components will be coming back to mesh with a talented group of freshman due in next fall.

It's what they call the re-loading process at Lower Columbia College.