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A memorable summer and one they’ll remember for the rest of their lives ended on Tuesday night for the Redwood Empire 12-year-old All-Stars.

Representing the county at the Section tournament in Colusa, the RELL players suffered their second tournament loss, falling 5-0 to Chico Central in the championship round.

But despite the disappointment, it was a good season for Redwood Empire, which went undefeated in the District tournament and battled back from an opening loss at the Section tournament with three straight elimination-game wins to set up Tuesday’s rematch with Chico.

And no doubt, it will be a season the young players will remember for a long time.

“These kids, they all grew together,” RELL manager Tyler Conley said. “It was a tough loss last night, but these guys have been working hard since TOCs and have been together the whole time.”

Conley believes the entire roster has a bright future in the game and this is far from the last time local fans will be hearing about these players.

“These guys, they put a lot into it and they got a lot out of it. Every kid on this team will play high school baseball, and they’ll learn a lot from this,” he added.

On Tuesday, the young Chico players struck early, taking full advantage of their opportunities and scoring a pair of first-inning runs on errors and passed balls.

The RELL All-Stars had their opportunities and out-hit their opponents 4-3 for the game, but they were unable to convert those opportunities into runs.

“We had a few errors and we walked a couple of batters, and their hits were timely,” Conley added. “The score was 5-0, but if you look at the box score it was a lot closer than that.”

Both teams’ pitchers played well.

Liam Kilgore got the start for Redwood Empire and struck out three batters, with Treyce Conley throwing the final five innings and striking out 11.

Treyce Conley, Ryker Bermers, Oliver Yoder and Charlie Armstrong each had a hit for Redwood Empire, but the game was a pitchers’ duel and lasted just 65 minutes.

Despite things not going their way, the District 26 champs continued to battle the entire game, much as they have been doing all summer.

“I speak for all of the coaches, we were proud of them,” the manager added of his players. “They know the game and they played hard, and we were happy to be a part of it with the kids.

“We were thrilled to be a part of it. It’s something we will always remember, and I know the kids will too.”

Also in action on Tuesday night, the Eel River 10s lost for the first time at their Section tournament in Clearlake, falling 14-9.

They will now play a true championship game on Wednesday night at 6 p.m.

We’ll have more on Eel River after Wednesday’s game.

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