Submitted photo – The Klamath Trinity All-Stars

The Klamath Trinity All-Stars enjoyed memorable run at this year’s District 26 11-year-old tournament despite falling just short in their bid for a championship.

The young Klamath Trinity players played five games in five days and reached the tournament championship game, where they fell to champions Redwood Empire.

And according to KT coaches, this was as far as any team from the association has gone in more team three decades, dating back to 1989.

Even more impressive was how they succeeded, rallying from sizable deficits on more than one occasion to avoid elimination and keep their historic run going.

“We had some really exciting, competitive, back-and-forth games,” team manager Tony Walendy said. “They never gave up, they stayed positive, they worked really well as a team. It was really inspiring.”

Competing in Redway, the Klamath Trinity All-Stars opened the tournament with a 10-7 win over host Southern Humboldt, but would drop their second game the following day, losing 11-1 to Redwood Empire.

The KT All-Stars, however, battled back through the loser’s bracket to reach the championship round, and they did so with back-to-back comeback wins in high-scoring games.

They overcame an early four-run deficit to edge McKinleyville 14-13, before rallying from an early seven-run deficit to edge Eel River 15-14.

They would close out a memorable run with a 23-9 loss in the deciding game, in a showdown that was tight early but got away from them late

“We ran out of pitchers, and they have hitters,” Walendy said. “(Redwood Empire) were the best team in the tournament.”

Despite the final loss, the Klamath Trinity All-Stars showed a lot of fight and resilience on their historic run.

“They definitely worked hard,” Walendy said of his players. “They supported each other, they never gave up. No matter how many runs we were down, it never felt that we were out of a game just because of the way they supported each other and stayed together.

“It was a great group and a really positive experience for everybody.”

Several players stepped up for KT, most notably the team’s seven pitchers and a deep lineup, with every player one through 11 getting multiple hits.

The versatile Gavin Smith, who pitched and played shortstop and first base, helped lead the way and set the tone for his teammates with a big tournament.

“He’s just a jack of all trades,” Walendy said. “Gavin is a 10-year-old with a baseball IQ and level of maturity well beyond his years. Definitely a team leader who led the way on the mound, at the plate and in the field.”

Catcher Sebastian Ferris, who caught 26 of the 28 innings in tournament action, also had a big week in Redway.

“He was a spark plug,” the manager said.

Lincoln Walendy, Koulan Dehuff-Hyde and Wilder Thompson each also had a big impact for the team.

The young Walendy was a force at the plate, while also impressing on the mound and on defense, while Dehuff-Hyde showcased his power at the plate and came close to hitting a couple of home runs.

“He hit with power, he pitched well and he played well at first base,” Tony Walendy said of Dehuff-Hyde.

Thompson keyed the comeback win over Eel River, pitching 5.1 innings in relief and helping his team get back in the game

“He really settled the team down,” his manager said. “He threw strike after strike.”

Nicky Nix also had some key hits in tournament play and was one of his team’s most consistent bats over the five days, while Kayson Lamebear, Merky Robbins, Ish Valentine, Julian Ferris-Aubrey and Drake Hunter rounded out the history-making roster and each also played key roles on the march to the championship game.

Ryan Smith and Tyler Thompson were assistant coaches on the team.

For more on the Redwood Empire All-Stars, see Attention to the little things pays off for RELL 11-year-old All-Stars …

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