BY GERARDO BOLONG
Contributing Writer
FEDERAL WAY - A great journey finally ended for an area baseball team.
Power hitting District II Bainbridge bombed away to a 21-13 six-inning, three - hour victory against District VII Pac West in a loser - out game of the 2017 Washington State Little League 12U Majors All Star baseball tournament held at the Federal Way National League Complex on Mon., July 17. The game ended on Field No. 1 with gathering darkness necessitating a move to a field with lights.
"Most of these players have been together for three years," observed District 7 Manager Luke Hagler. "There have been good friendships on and off the field. They like to hang together. This has been a great team with fun kids. They stay in the game. I treat them like my own.It's the end of an era. I've coached many of them since they were five or six years old."
This game featured back and forth exchanges of blast off baseball with a wind blowing out towards the outfield on Field No. 2.
Bainbridge initiated the slug fest in the top of the first inning.
Left handed hitter Zach Duffy's sliced three-run homer staked District II to a 3-0 lead that lasted only until the bottom of the frame.
Zachary Hatcher's RBI single with two out plated one run before Kaleb Fitzpatrick slammed home a pair of runs on a double. Zach McFarlane flipped an RBI single to give PW a 4-3 lead.
Micah Hagler's run-scoring single matched a Bainbridge top of the inning tally as PacWest held a 5-4 lead.
More big blasts followed with District II Bainbridge notching two runs on two hits in the third inning.
Ten batters went to the plate in the PW half of the inning. Zac Ufford hoisted his second double of the game to drive home two runs ahead of a walk and an infield error that scored another run. Hatcher followed with an RBI single and Pac West pushed ahead 9-6.
Bainbridge notched five run on five hits with Jack Holland's three-run homer keying District II into an 11-9 margin after the top of the fourth inning.
Undaunted, District VII fired back in the bottom of the fourth.
An infield error allowed one PacWest run to score. Wybrand Barron's ground out equaled a run and Hagler's chip shot single sent PW ahead 12-11.
Duffy pulled a pitch over the right field fence for three runs to ignite a four-run Bainbridge fifth inning and 15-12 advantage.
Barron's run-scoring single in PW's fifth inning was PacWest's last gasp.
Bainbridge pounded home six run on six hits ahead of a scoreless District VII sixth inning to send District VII out of the tournament.
Ufford batted 3-of-4 with a pair of doubles two RBI for Pac West. Teammmate Hatcher was 3-of-3 with a pair of RBI.
PW began the tournament on July 15 with a 17-3 bludgeoning of District III Montesano before engaging Queen Anne on Sun.,July 16. Pac West led 2-0 before the squads battled into tie of 5-all after six innings. QA finally won on a walk off single in the seventh inning.
2017 Majors All Star players for District 7 Pac West are Wybrand Barron, Brandon Bernard, Ian Chilson, Diego Cigarroa, Kaleb Fitzpatrick, Jack Gorney, Micah Hagler, Zach Hatcher, Sam Hostetter, Cameron Keller, Zach Mac McFarlane, Damico Parker Jr., Lamont Richardson and Zak Ufford.
Assisting manager Hagler are coaches Brandon Barron and Greg Hatcher.
Mitch Stone is the league president while Will Stedman is the district administrator.
