It wasn’t the ending anyone on the Camas baseball team expected as Issaquah finished the Papermakers’ season with a 5-1 win in the opening round of the 4A state tournament at Propstra Stadium in Vancouver on Saturday, May 18.
Following the heartbreaking loss, Camas’ seniors packed up their equipment and left the dugout for one final time as tears started to flow. On the green grass outside the ballpark, the entire team comforted each other, and in the middle of the emotionally charged group hug was head coach Stephen Short.
“We have a lot of empathetic guys on our team that care about each other and other people, and they have built a culture of togetherness, which is a hard thing to do, especially in this day and age,” Short said.
The Papermakers, who finished the season with an 18-6 record, won 4A Greater St. Helens League and 4A District 3/4 championships to qualify for the state tournament for the fifth time in the program’s history.
“This is one of the greatest teams in the history of Camas, and our school has a long history,” Short said.