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The Humboldt Eagles bowed out of the 2024 California 19U American Legion Area 1 Tournament a little earlier than they hoped for after a Saturday loss to Napa.

Competing in Fairfield, the Eagles dropped their tournament opener to the host team on Thursday by a score of 4-0, before falling 15-2 to Petaluma on Friday in a game that got away from them late.

On Saturday, they fell 10-0 to Napa to end their tournament and the 2024 summer season.

“We knew we were going to be facing some tough competition and they didn’t disappoint,” Eagles head coach Tommy Gale said. “There were some great ball clubs (there).”

This summer the Eagles fielded a very young team on a 19U roster that featured several high school freshmen.

But Gale believes the young players will benefit from that and will be better prepared for the 2025 high school season as a result.

“We had a roster that was really full of freshmen, and we encouraged them to get the mistakes out of the way early and often so they can learn from them,” he said. 

Several of the young players impressed this summer, as did some of the team’s more experienced players.

Recent Eureka graduate Cooper Ohlsen got the start on the mound in their tournament opener and pitched a strong game against the Fairfield bats.

“Cooper pitched well and kept us in the ball game,” Gale said. 

In game two, the Eagles matched Petaluma for much of the afternoon in hot conditions, before things started to get away from them late.

Starter Mateo Gutierrez pitched “a heck of a game,” according to his coach, who added that the performance was “pure heart.”

Gutierrez, a St. Bernard’s standout, threw 105 pitches in 100-plus degree weather.

The Eagles had their chances but were unable to come up with a key hit when they needed it the most to support their pitcher.

“We had guys on almost every inning. We just couldn’t come through with the clutch hit,” Gale said.

Saturday’s loss was another game that got away from the local American Legion club after a solid start.

A mental mistake on defense on a play that should have ended the third inning proved costly, as Napa went on to score six runs in the inning.

There were, however, some bright spots for the young Eagles roster.

In addition to the standout performances from Ohlsen and Gutierrez, soon-to-be sophomore Ryder Mitchell continued to show his upside.

Mitchell got the start on the hill against Napa and was “throwing well,” according to his coach, but it was “some mental mistakes on defense that got us.”

Another young Eureka High player, Matt Pleasant, also enjoyed a breakout summer, during which he swung the bat well.

Pleasant also played shortstop and second base, as well as seeing time out of the bullpen.

“He’s a really valuable part of our team,” his coach said.

Garrett Levitt, who will be a junior at Eureka High this fall, also impressed at times this summer and played well in center field and in the lead-off spot.

“He’s our fire starter on offense,” Gale said. “We’ve got some real future stars, and we grinded with the young players we had.”