PacWest plays up an age group and still takes state title
Fri, 07/15/2016
By Tim Clinton
SPORTS EDITOR
SHORELINE--PacWest's Senior Little League baseball all-star team prevailed in capturing a state championship despite playing up an age group at the Big League level.
The contingent from Burien and SeaTac finished an undefeated tournament with a 5-1 victory over District 1 at Shorewood High School in Shoreline on Thursday.
PacWest also went undefeated at the Seniors age 14-15 level during the regular season, then played age 16-18 baseball in the Big League tournament and went 4-0.
It automatically qualified for state as the only Seniors team out of District 7 and opted up.
After opening with a 13-4 win over District 1 on Sunday, July 10 the PacWest team blasted District 8 by a 14-0 score the next day and then defeated District 9 in the winner's bracket final Tuesday.
That sent the squad straight to Thursday's provisional championship needing to be defeated twice by the squad coming out of Wednesday's loser's bracket final, which happened to be District 1.
No second if-necessary game was necessary, as PacWest took care of the opponents from north of Seattle by the 5-1 score.
South Highline snags second
South Snohomish may have stole the show in the end at the state Little League Intermediate baseball all-star tournament, but the host South Highline National team put on a show of its own in making the championship.
National opened the tournament with a second round game Sunday, July 10 and outslugged Bellevue by an 11-9 score.
The team then lost Tuesday's winner's bracket final, 11-0, to South Snohomish before bouncing back to beat North Kitsap, 10-8, in Wednesday's loser's bracket final.
That sent National to Thursday's provisional championship needing two wins to unseat undefeated South Snohomish, but South Snohomish ended it early, 18-2, in the first game.
The entire tournament was played at Steven J. Underwood Memorial Park in Des Moines.
Intermediate action is played with a pitchers mound 50 feet away and with 70 foot basepaths as a step between Little League Majors and the full regulation diamond that Juniors age 13-14 use.
PacWest softball team ousted
PacWest had a two-and-out stay at the state Major Little League softball tournament in Spokane.
The squad of all-stars lost their final game Monday, July 11 by a 15-0 score to South Hill after opening with a 30-1 loss to Mill Creek the day before.
The Majors division is for ages 10-12.