Baseball and softball players from Bellevue found huge success earlier this week, as district tournaments ended and state delegates were crowned.
Bellevue West Little League captured the area’s first title, as they won the 10/11-year-old District 9 title Monday on Mercer Island. The team defeated a powerful-hitting Falls Little League team 6-5 in seven innings.
Bellevue West erupted for four runs with two outs in the sixth inning to take a 5-2 lead, with Colin Suter, Jack Enger, Cole Soreano and Trevor Neely all pounding out hits.
Falls would battle right back with three runs in the bottom of the inning to tie the score at 5-5.
Bellevue lead off hitter Charlie Day walked in the top of the seventh, moved to second on a wild pitch and then advanced to third base on a ground out. Day scored on a wild pitch with two outs to give Bellevue the 6-5 lead.
Colin Baker came in to pitch for Bellevue and got the first batter to ground out before striking out the next two Falls players to end the game and give Bellevue West the tournament title.
The team now moves on as the District 9 representative to the state tournament, which begins tomorrow and runs through July 24 at McGonagle Field in Selah, Wash. Bellevue West’s first game is schedule for tomorrow at 10 a.m. against Little League District 1.
Bellevue East Little League captured the 9/10-year-old District 9 title by knocking off Mercer Island Little League 7-6 Tuesday.
Bellevue East jumped out to a 5-0 lead and held on for five innings before the Mercer Island bats came alive in the sixth and took the lead, 6-5. In the bottom of the sixth, Bellevue East came back with a leadoff walk, single and then a double to score the winning run.
It was the third meeting of the teams in four nights as Bellevue East fought its way through the loser’s bracket to win the championship, handing Mercer Island its second loss.
Bellevue East now moves on as the District 9 representative to the state tournament, which kicks off tomorrow at Shoreline Park in Shoreline. Bellevue’s first game is tomorrow at 2:30 p.m. against Mill Creek Little League from District 1.
The combined Bellevue West/Bellevue Thunderbird/Mercer Island Junior Softball League team defeated the All-Star team of Eastlake/Sammamish 8-6 to win the Junior Softball District 9 title, a title that earns them an automatic berth into the Aug. 15-21 International Little League Junior Softball World Series at Everest Park in Kirkland.
District 9 has been the host team for the World Series since the tournament started in 1989.
The championship was the second meeting between the two teams in the double elimination tournament, with the Bellevue All-Stars winning the first game 10-4.
Sydney Hopper got the win for the Bellevue/Mercer Island squad. Kaitlin Sahlinger went 2 for 3 with a double and three runs scored and Indy Gants went 2 for 4 with a triple and a run scored to help lead the team in the win.
