PROSSER — A 3-1 Ephrata lead unraveled in the bottom of the seventh inning at Prosser Tuesday when the host Mustangs rallied for three runs and a walk-off 4-3 win that ended the Tigers’ season.

Ephrata was seeded eighth and Prosser fifth going into the Central Washington Athletic Conference District play-in round. But the two teams were evenly matched for much of the contest, entering the seventh inning tied at 1-1.

Then the Tigers surged ahead with two runs. Andrew Rowlands opened the rally with a single and freshmen Casten Iverson and Trevor Dietrich both drew walks to load the bases. Caleb Froewiss’ RBI single to left scored Rowlands, and Iverson reached home on a wild pitch after advancing to third.

But the Mustangs rallied in the bottom of the frame, loading the bases on a pinch-hit walk, hit batter, and a single. A two-run double knotted the score at 3-3, then Prosser catcher Justin Perkins delivered the game-winner with an RBI single to left field.

The Tigers got a strong performance from starting pitcher Cooper Vasquez, who allowed just three hits and one earned run over six innings while registering five strikeouts and four walks on 96 pitches. Clayton Wolther and Froewiss pitched in relief in the seventh.

Ephrata concluded its season with a 4-18 record and finished eighth in the CWAC standings at 3-13.

The Tigers entered district play looking to rebound after getting swept in a doubleheader at Ellensburg on Saturday (May 2), when they fell 10-0 in the opener and dropped the afternoon game 12-2 in six innings.

Despite their frustrating season finale, head coach David Tempel said the Tigers showed improvement down the stretch with cleaner defense, pitching that produced "competitive strikes," and the emergence of some timely hitting.

He pointed to the Prosser game as evidence, saying, "Plays were made in different situations that we had been preparing for, and the guys competed right to the end."

Reflecting on their 2026 campaign, Tempel felt the Tigers' greatest growth throughout the season was in "learning the game."

Tempel commended his three seniors — Elijah Davis, Grayson Webb and Braiden Baltz — who closed out their careers with the Prosser game.

"Our three seniors ... epitomize the values of Tiger Baseball, including competitiveness, enthusiasm, and grit. We appreciate their contributions to the program, both on and off the field," said Tempel.

Ephrata's highlight win of the season likely came at Johnson-O'Brien Stadium on Senior Night with a 10-run rout of Basin-rival Quincy.

"In this game, we were able to honor our seniors with a win, but more importantly, allowed the game to come to us," said Tempel. "There was a ton of emotion for not only our seniors, but also the community with the honoring of Jett Johnson."

The April 28 ceremony included a remembrance dedicated to the seniors’ classmate, Jett Johnson, a multi-sport athlete who died tragically in a February 2024 car accident.

The EHS Class of 2026 Senior Parents Board presented a memorial plaque for display at the Tigers’ home ballpark "as a lasting reminder to future players: to play for the love of the game, to support one another, and to bring the same passion and joy that Jett carried with him every day."

For the season, the Tigers batted .234 as a team, scoring 84 runs, but allowing 165 – errors in some early games contributed to that stat – across 22 games.

Sophomore catcher Mitchell Johnson was elected a team captain and led the ballclub with a .351 batting average and a .493 on-base percentage.

Tempel said Johnson "was a stalwart behind the plate and led us in most offensive categories in his first full year on varsity."

Vasquez, also a sophomore team captain, paced the team with 22 hits and 12 RBIs while batting .328. Caleb Froewiss batted .333 with 17 hits and 11 RBIs. Rowlands posted a .468 OBP, and freshman call-up Cannon DeLong hit .444 (4-for-9) with a .500 OBP in limited action.

Vasquez, returning to sports action following a football knee injury last fall, led the pitching staff with a 3-6 record, 60 strikeouts over 49-1/3 innings pitched. Cale Fronsman finished 1-7 with 23 strikeouts in 23-2/3 innings. Clayton Wolther added 20 strikeouts.

Aggressive baserunning was a priority for the Tigers all season. Charles Poirrier and Rowlands tied for the team lead with six stolen bases; Froewiss, Dayne Holland and Fronsman each swiped five.

With only three seniors departing, the Tigers may return the bulk of their roster in 2027. Vasquez, Johnson, Fronsman, Kai Kaleohano, Mayson Stredwick, Froewiss, Wolther, Poirrier, Rowlands and Holland are all expected back next season. Five freshmen who saw varsity action potentially return as sophomores: DeLong, Iverson, Dietrich, Krue Judkins and Jaxon Uribe.

"Moving into this offseason, we'll focus on consistent strike throwing, pitch efficiency and bat-to-ball skills to cut down on strikeouts," Tempel said. "With many players returning, I'm excited for the competitions and growth we'll show next year."