"We just didn't hit in that game," said Armond Swanson II, whose South Highline National Marlins took a 7-2 loss to West Seattle in the age 9-10 baseball all-star second game.

But they hit in the Friday loser's bracket final against Renton, that's for sure. They got good pitching from Bryce Pulver, too, throwing 69 pitches before being taken out a couple batters into the sixth inning of the 18-0 win.

"Bryce, he threw incredible," said Swanson II. "He's pitched three games and I think the other teams have got a total of about five hits off him."

Pulver three-hit Renton, allowing only two walks and striking out seven.

"It's fun," said Pulver, asked if he likes pitching.

"He doesn't put any pressure on himself," said Swanson II.

Pulver said he felt really good pitching but he felt he had really good something else, too.

"Really good defense," he said.

"What about your catcher," asked Swanson II.

"He's great," said Pulver.

His great catcher was Jared Scott, who did a great job plate-blocking any balls so that Renton did not score any runs that way. A really defining way to tell a good catcher is if he was able to get down and keep wild pitches in front of their bodies.

Scott could hit, too.

"He's been crushing the ball," said Swanson II. "He's the hardest hitter on the team."

"My favorite part about hitting is home runs, triples, doubles, anything that makes a run," said Scott.

In the first inning, SHN started to run away in this game versus Renton. Leadoff Evan Galando, the smallest hitter on the team, started things off with an inside the park home-run. He made it on overthrowing errors of the shortstop to first base, the first base throwing to third base and Galando coming home. So, after one batter, it was 1-0 SHN.

Galando was with an all-star friend, Brandon Jorgenson-Harshman, who was the fastest runner on his team, the Cardinals of the SHN charter during the regular season. Jorgenson-Harshman was called "B-rabbit," on his team. But getting to all-stars he said that Galando was the fastest on this collection of the best 3-4 players plucked from several SHN teams to make up this really good one.

"I'm third and you're first and Conor (Davidson) is second," said Harshman, adding, 'They ought to call you E-rabbit.'

So it goes, ah, yes, the creative minds of kids. Well, anyway, after Galando rabbited around the bases, thanks to Renton throwing errors, it was time for Scott to single and Nate Fisher to double. That put Fisher at second base and Scott at third for Pulver to show he could do more than pitch. He could hit, and not just that he could fundamentally hit, sacrificing a ball to the outfield and Scott ran home to make it 2-0 SHN.

Pulver mowed down Renton's batters in order in the bottom of the first and then, in the second, is when the real skyrockets of offense bottled into sight. First, Tyler Eaton drew a walk. Then Mathew Tarnageas singled a nice chopper shot skidding between shortstop and third. Next up was Davidson, walking, which loaded the bases for "e-rabbit," er, Galando.

Galando got to a two-strike count against him with a ball or two before a foul ball nearly ended the at-bat. But the ball popped up and fell between the first baseman and catcher running to get it along the dugout fence of Renton.

"I was saying, no, no, no, get out," said Galando.

The ball dropped untouched, not going over the fence but good enough. So, Galando, with new life, was ready to tell what he did next as this moment was revisited with him after the game in an interview.

"I struck out," said Galando, a blond-haired kid that was running around it looked like harder in a little pick-up game than the real game. His dad, and coach, Dave, also noted that observation of his son. But Evan, you did not strike out. The next pitch - after he was given a chance from that foul ball dropping just away from the Renton catcher and first baseman -- was a strike, that is, a "strike" of the ball by Galando -- a vicious one that sent the ball flying over the shortstop and bouncing a time or two quickly as it got by the converging center fielder and left fielder too. Two runs scored to make it 4-0, SHN.

"Oh," said Galando, enlightened to that fact, smiling his as-usual 10,000 watt grin.

Next up, Armond Swanson III, singled. Then Scott came up again and hit a 2-RBI double to make it 6-0.

And then Fisher hit into a fielder's choice but Swanson scored and it was 7-0. Then things just unraveled even uglier with a walk and an error committed by Renton and a Tarangeau three-RBI double pretty much put this game out of reach for Renton, down 10-0. Tarangeau followed up his nice hitting by stealing home on a wild pitch to make it 11-0.

Galando may have been thinking about what he did to end this inning, and, what a perfect time to end Renton's misery, Galando then struck out.

But the damage was definitely done -- nine runs on five hits for SHN in the top of the second inning en route to the 18-0 victory.

So now it is time for Swanson II and his coach, Dave Galando, and all these good little players to go at it again against their nemesis, West Seattle.

"I think we can do it," said Swanson II. "We have good arms left. Hopefully they all go to bed tonight."