Easton Amundson of the Bend Elks waits for a pitch in the batter's box during the Elks' 6-3 win over Cowlitz Wednesday evening at Vince Genna Stadium. 

Two major hurdles needed to be cleared for the Bend Elks to reach the postseason for the first time since 2015, according to coach Allen Cox.

And in the first two series after the All-Star break, the Elks accomplished both.

“It is almost like they are getting used to winning,” Cox said. “Which is nice, you never want to get used to losing.”

First, the Elks needed to win at least two games in their final six against the Corvallis Knights. After a disastrous start to the series in Bend, during which the Knights won the first game 16-3, the Elks took two out of three from the seven-time defending West Coast League champions. Bend won 7-6 in 11 innings on Saturday and 11-5 on Sunday.

Second, the Elks needed a second series win over the Cowlitz (Wash.) Bears, a team nipping at the heels of the Elks in the overall standings.

With a 6-5 win on Tuesday and a 6-3 victory on Wednesday at Vince Genna Stadium, the Elks notched their second series win over the Bears. A walk-off single from Easton Amundson (Liberty) in the 10th inning secured Tuesday’s win, and a three-RBI outing from Amundson and an eight-strikeout performance from pitcher Lucas Hines (Salt Lake Community College) in six innings led to Wednesday’s victory.

“We played really well,” Cox said. “We all know how good (Corvallis) is. When you can get two wins that we weren’t counting on and then come back and win another series, we are looking good.”

By Cox’s estimation, the Elks needed just five wins in their remaining 13 games to return to the playoffs for the first time since capturing the WCL title in 2015.

Prior to Thursday night’s series finale against Cowlitz, the Elks were 25-16 and third in the WCL’s South Division in the overall standings, trailing only the Knights (31-10) and the Portland Pickles (30-11).

While they cleared hurdles against two of their most important opponents heading into the final two weeks of the season, the Elks are not looking past their upcoming games. Yakima Valley (Wash.), Springfield, a second series against Corvallis, and Wenatchee (Wash.) are still on the schedule.

“Baseball is crazy,” Cox said. “You never know what is going to happen. We have to go after it each game until we reach those five wins.”

The Elks have put themselves in position to make the postseason by making sure their players don’t break down during the grind of the 50-plus game summer season.

They are constantly changing their lineup — as many as seven position players who did not see action in the previous game will play the next game. The thinking behind the strategy is to have the players rested enough for the final playoff push.

“We are going to be the most healthy and energetic team that we can,” Cox said, “because we play so many guys and it is working.”

Whether it is players leaving early to return to school, or in a very specific case, being summoned to federal jury duty, roster-building is constant throughout the summer. Recently, the Elks called up outfielder Kadin Kingsbury of Pierce College (Lakewood, Wash.), who had been playing with the Bend Bucks during the summer.

“I’ve been training and preparing all summer,” said Kingsbury, from Mountainside High School in Beaverton. “When I got the call up I was ready to go. It is definitely a step up in competition. You’ve got to focus more, play a little harder. But I’m happy to be here and playing at a higher level.”

Following the series against Cowlitz, the Elks will go on a six-game road stand with three-game series against Yakima Valley and Springfield. The Elks’ next home game is Aug. 2 against Corvallis.