A 17-8 lead was almost not enough, but the KWRL Hit Squad held on to beat Belgrade, Mont., 17-14 on Friday to finish pool play 4-0 at the Pacific Northwest Babe Ruth 14-year-old Regional at Louis Bloch Park in Camas.
Hit Squad was down 8-6 after Montana (2-2) scored five runs in the top of the third inning.
Hit Squad responded with an 11-run bottom of the third. But that would be the end of the scoring for the Clark County-based all-star team.
Montana scored three in the fourth, two in the fifth and one in the seventh before its rally fell short.
Tyler Howard hit a triple and drove in three runs for Hit Squad. Seth Minor was 2 for 3 with two RBI, Parker Harris was 2 for 3 with three RBI, and Tanner Beamon was 2 for 3 with an RBI. Max Mitchell hit a double and had two RBI and three runs scored.
Host KWRL finished 2-2 in the American pool after a 14-4 win over Calgary on Friday.
Sam Clark and Drew Harteloo were each 3 for 5 with an RBI and three runs scored. Daniel Kehler and Kyle Simmons each had two RBI.
Hit Squad topped the National pool and will play in the 1 p.m. semifinal Saturday against American No. 2 Gresham/Barlow (2-2).
The 10 a.m. semifinal will have American No. 1 West Linn, Ore. (4-0) vs. National No. 2 Klamath Falls, Ore., (2-2).
The semifinal winners then play at 5 p.m. for the regional title and a trip to the Babe Ruth 14-year-old World Series in Eagle Pass, Texas, beginning Aug. 9.
