Having beaten up on the competition in Northern California, the Colusa RedHawks took their talents south last week with similar results.
The RedHawks captured the Single A Division championship in their inaugural appearance at the San Diego Lions Tournament.
Started in 1951, the event is the oldest and largest high school baseball tournament in the United States, according to information posted on its website.
Running from April 11-14, the 2022 tournament featured 130 teams and eight divisions covering all skill levels.
Colusa easily moved through bracket play, downing New Tech Chula Vista 14-0; Hoover (San Diego) 7-0; and Southwest San Diego 16-1, on consecutive days, to reach the title game against de Toledo, a private high school from West Hills, with just over 400 students.
Yet the de Toledo Jaguars, just like their earlier opponents, were no match for the RedHawks, who put runs on the board in each of the first five innings and, in the process, claimed a 11-3 victory in the championship game.
Luke Kalfsbeek earned the win on the mound, after putting in six innings of work, where – with just 76 pitches – he fanned seven, conceded two hits, issued one walk, and did not yield an earned run.
Emanuel Frias closed out the seventh inning, inducing a ground out before catching the final two batters of the game looking.
At the plate, Kaflsbeek doubled to reach base, while Frias, Ethan Lay, Bo Coronado, Seth Kalisuch, Clay Randolph, and Joe Maciel accounted for the RedHawks’ other hits.
Over the four games of the tournament, Colusa continued its dominance on the mound, holding its opponents to four runs, with only one of them earned.
In addition to Kalfsbeek, Lay and Hunter Sines each notched wins, with Sines striking out 12 in the game with Hoover, while Lay punched out five against Southwest San Diego.
While the RedHawks were the beneficiaries of 39 free passes in total for the tournament, they had some solid hitting performances as well, with Kalisuch finishing 5 for 8, Niko Silvas 5 for 10, and Nick Price 4 for 10.
Playing in such a prestigious tournament was a nice change of pace and a learning experience for Colusa, according to Coach Eric Lay.
“Aside from winning, a highlight has been playing different teams at different sites across San Diego,” Lay said. “It was great to see the varied styles and approaches of teams we never faced before.”
There was also a bit of a lesson in baseball history for the RedHawks when they faced Hoover, the high school alma mater of baseball legend Ted Williams, where they had the opportunity to play on the field named in honor of one of the game’s greatest players.
However, with the tournament behind them, unbeaten Colusa (20-0) now turns its attention back to the Sacramento Valley League and a series with second place Willows, which started April 19 on the road and concludes at home on April 22. ■