Teams from Elma and Montesano reached their respective district and state finals as Little League baseball postseason play continued earlier this week.
A pair of teams from Elma Little League reached their respective tournament championship rounds.
The Eagles 8-10 Division all-stars reached the District 3 final with a 15-11 win over Montesano, smacking 10 hits – five for extra bases – to help overcome what was once an 8-0 deficit in Tuesday’s victory.
Montesano then lost to Larch Mountain 12-5 in an elimination game on Wednesday, leading to an Elma-Larch Mountain final set for 5:30 p.m. Thursday in Olympia.
Elma’s Intermediate team advanced to its district final with a 7-3 semifinal win over Chinook on Wednesday in Puyallup.
Elma’s opponent is still to be determined at the time of this writing and the Eagles will need to win just one of two potential games to win the title and advance to the regional tournament.
Elma will play in the district championship on Friday in Puyallup against the Chinook-Greater Richland winner.
Montesano’s 9-11 Division all-stars advanced to their championship round with a 10-4 victory over Larch Mountain on Tuesday.
PHOTO BY FOREST WORGUM Montesano’s Micah Eaton connects with a pitch during a 10-4 win over Larch Mountain in a 9-11 Division semifinal game of the Little League District 3 Tournament on Tuesday in Montesano.
PHOTO BY FOREST WORGUM Montesano’s Madden Maruska throws a pitch during a 10-4 win over Larch Mountain in a 9-11 Division semifinal game of the Little League District 3 Tournament on Tuesday in Montesano.
Madden Maruska went 2-for-3 with a double, two runs scored and an RBI while Micah Eaton went 1-for-4 with a run and two RBI to lead Monte’s offense.
Eaton and Maruska combined to allow one earned run on six hits in the victory.
Maruska earned the victory, allowing four runs – one earned – on six hits with a walk and six strikeouts in five innings pitched.
Eaton closed out the victory, recording a strikeout in tossing a scoreless, hitless frame.
With Larch Mountain defeating Centralia 11-1 in an elimination game on Wednesday, Montesano will face Larch Mountain in the first game of a potential two-game championship set at 6 p.m. on Thursday in Montesano.
In the Senior Division State Tournament in Mukilteo, Willapa Harbor-South Beach defeated Northwest Seattle 6-2 on Monday then lost to South Hill 10-7 on Wednesday to close out its season with a third-place finish in the state.
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9-11 Division District 3 Tournament in Montesano
Semifinal Round (Tuesday)
Montesano 10, Larch Mountain 4
Elimination Games
Centralia 11, Capitol American 1 (Tuesday)
Larch Mountain 11, Centralia 1 (Wednesday)
Championship Round
Montesano vs. Larch Mountain (6 p.m. Thursday)
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PHOTO COURTESY OF ELMA LITTLE LEAGUE The Elma 8-10 Division all-star team defeated Montesano 15-11 on Monday to advance to the District 3 Championship game against Larch Mountain at 5:30 p.m. Thursday in Olympia.
8-10 Division District 3 Tournament in Olympia
Semifinal Round (Tuesday)
Elma 15, Montesano 11
Elimination Games
Larch Mountain 15, Chehalis 6 (Tuesday)
Larch Mountain 12, Montesano 5 (Wednesday)
Championship Round
Elma vs. Larch Mountain (5:30 p.m. Thursday)
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PHOTO COURTESY OF WILLAPA HARBOR LITTLE LEAGUE The Willapa Harbor-South Beach Senior All-Star Team placed third overall in the state tournament on Wednesday in Mukilteo.
Senior Division State Tournament in Mukilteo
Elimination Game (Monday)
Willapa Harbor-South Beach 6, Northwest Seattle 2
Elimination Game (Wednesday)
South Hill 10, Willapa Harbor-South Beach 7
Willapa Harbor-South Beach places third in state
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Junior Division State Tournament in Everett
Elimination Game (Monday)
Pacific 8, South Beach 4
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Intermediate Division State Tournament in Puyallup
Third Round (Monday)
Elma 20, Glenwood 2
Semifinal Round (Wednesday)
Elma 7, Chinook 3
Championship Round
Elma vs. TBD (6 p.m. Friday)
