Two Clark County Babe Ruth baseball teams from the same organization are headed to their respective World Series tournaments.
The KWRL Centerfield Roosters — with players from Woodland, Ridgefield and La Center — won the 13-15-year-old Babe Ruth Pacific Northwest regional title on Saturday.
They beat Portland 9-2 in the championship game at David Douglas High School in Portland to earn a spot in the 13-15 Babe Ruth World Series in Longview beginning Aug. 9.
At about the same time Saturday, KWRL Hit Squad — with players from Skyview and Columbia River high schools — won the 14-year-old Babe Ruth Pacific Northwest Regional title at Lewis Bloch Park in Camas.
Hit Squad beat West Linn, Ore., 13-0 in five innings for a place in the 14-year-old Babe Ruth World Series at Eagle Pass, Texas, beginning Aug. 9.
Hit Squad went 6-0 in the regional tournament. They beat Gresham/Barlow 6-2 in the semifinal game just prior to the championship. Max Mitchell had two hits and Tyler Howard had two hits and two RBI.
In the title game, Hit Squad scored nine runs in the top of the fifth inning to put the game away.
Howard was 2 for 2 with a double and four RBI. Marcus Whitney was 2 for 2 with a double and RBI, and Aden Fay was 2 for 4 with an RBI.
Howard was also the winning pitcher, throwing the five-inning two-hit shutout with five strikeouts and four walks.
The Centerfield Roosters, which went 5-1 at the regional, started Saturday with a 13-7 semifinal win over South Coast of Southern Oregon. Cade Reitzenstein, Michael Goode and Derek Kropp were each had two hits and three RBI.
In the championship, the Roosters scored seven runs in the bottom of the third inning. Five singles in a row started the inning.
With the bases loaded, Aidan Hundt’s hit scored the first run, tying the game at 1-1. Goode followed with a two-run single for a 3-1 lead. A sacrifice fly brought home Hundt, Alex Wood singled in a run, and two more runs came home on a wild pitch and bases-loaded walk.
Irving Alverez pitched a two-hitter with eight strikeouts and two walks. He was also 2 for 2 with an RBI at the plate.
American Legion state tournament
VANCOUVER CARDINALS 6, PALOUSE PATRIOTS 5, 8 INNINGS — A bases loaded walk in the top of the eighth inning broke the tie as the Cardinals opened the Washington AAA state tournament on Saturday with a victory.
With two outs, Noah Guyette doubled, putting Riley Buehler on third, who had reached on a fielder’s choice.
Tanner Jacques was hit by a pitch to load the bases, and Quadrese Teague walked to force in Buehler.
Jacques was 2 for 3 with two doubles and two runs scored, and Teague was 2 for 2 with two RBI. Chris Swan was 3 for 4.
The Cardinals will next play Selah Pepsi Pak at 4 p.m. Sunday at W.F. West High School in Chehalis.
The 16-team tournament is double elimination and runs through Thursday.
VANCOUVER MAVERICKS 11, SPOKANE BANDITS 1, 6 INNINGS — The Mavericks pounded out 13 hits to win their first game at the state tournament early on the 10-run rule. Mason Hill’s two-run home run in the bottom of the sixth inning ended the game.
Gideon Malychewski, Grant Francis, and Riley McCarthy each had two hits with a double, Josh Mansur had a triple and two RBI.
The Mavericks next play Wilder Baseball Club of Port Angeles at 4 p.m. Sunday at Wheeler Field in Centralia.
