YAKIMA – For once, the West Valley baseball team didn’t get the clutch hit or riveting rally. There were no rally-ending strikeouts, nor the clean defense backing the staunch pitching staff.

For once, the Rams didn’t win.

Fourth-seeded West Valley saw its unbeaten season end Saturday, dropping an 8-2 decision to No. 13 Curtis at Yakima County Stadium, ending the CBBN champions’ season in the first round of the Class 4A state tournament for the second straight year.

The Rams finished 23-1.

“I thought we played well enough to win, but you got to play great in these types of games to move on,” second-year West Valley coach Brooks Archer said.

After rallying in its final home doubleheader to sweep Moses Lake on May 1, and needing another comeback to beat the Mavericks in the district championship game, the Rams again would play from behind Saturday.

The Vikings, who tied for fourth place in the rugged South Puget Sound 4A, scored two runs in the top of the fourth inning off West Valley ace Rhyse Elder, the two-time CBBN Pitcher of the Year.

A quick Rams’ response in the bottom half of the inning tied the score. After Curtis starter Cooper Hordyk threw just 22 pitches and retired all nine batters he faced in the first three innings, West Valley made him work,

Elder helped his own cause with a two-run single up the middle to score shortstop Colby Graham and Jack Goodrich, who was pinch-running for catcher Drayden Birley. Both Graham and Birley had singled.

After a sacrifice fly put Curtis up 3-2 in the sixth, the Rams again looked ready to answer with runners on the corners with just one out. However, a missed sign led to a pick-off of a West Valley runner heading to second.

A fly out ended the threat for the Rams, who seemed eager to swing away. Curtis threw 86 pitched compared to 126 of their own.

“You got to keep your composure and you’re not going to tie it with one swing,” Archer said. “We had a few chances, but like I said, you got to play great in these games.”

The Vikings blew it open in the seventh, chasing Elder and getting to reliver Alex Morales, too. Curtis put together a five-run rally with five hits, and aided by a base on balls.

West Valley had a single in its half of the seventh but was unable to advance the runner past second.

Six players will graduate from the Rams, including Graham – the CBBN Player of the Year – and Morales, a stalwart glove in center field and the No. 3 batter in the order.

Junior all-leaguers Elder, Birley, Karter Huwe and Colton Worley will lead a West Valley squad that will likely be favored for its third straight conference championship.

“At the end of the day, I’m so proud of them, they worked hard and kept each other accountable all season,” Archer said. “The younger guys, the juniors, there’s a big group of them coming back and they just have to be the guys now.”

Curtis was set to play No. 5 Gonzaga Prep at 4 p.m. for a trip to the final four in Everett. The Bullpups beat 12th-seeded Puyallup 7-0 in the 1 o’clock game at County Stadium,

NO. 2 SUMNER 7, NO. 15 MOSES LAKE 0: At Sumner, Wyatt Plyler and Lucas Tromp combined on a three-hitter and the Spartans ended the Mavericks season.

Jacoby Mungnos, Jonny Purcell and Kanyon Klitzke all had hits for Moses Lake (12-10), which was playing in its seventh straight state tournament under coach Donnie Lindgren.