The Bellevue East Juniors team clinched the district 9 championship, earning a berth in the state tournament this weekend in Yakima.

After a close loss to Redmond North/West Combined early in the tournament, Bellevue East came back to beat Redmond two games in a row for the title.

“It was a great team effort,” said team manager Dennis Worley. “It was neat to see a bunch of neighborhood kids who grew up together and have played together off and on since Single A work hard and rally to put [the team] over the top.”

Jihad Mardini led the team offensively with a .652 average, and Austin Strother hit three home runs during the tournament. Conor Robertson, Jack Thoman, Eleanor Worley and Strother all picked up wins in the tournament.

The team is composed of 13 and 14-year-olds who live in the Interlake and Sammamish High School attendence areas.

The state tournament opens up Friday at Parker Stadium in Yakima.