The South Whidbey Little League 8-10 baseball team is one win away from qualifying for the state tournament.
South Whidbey faces Sedro-Woolley at 6 p.m. Monday, June 25, at Community Park in the championship series of the District 11 Tournament.
Since South Whidbey defeated Sedro-Woolley earlier in the tournament, Sedro-Woolley will have to beat South Whidbey twice to earn the district title. The second game, if necessary, is 6 p.m. Tuesday.
The state tournament begins July 7 in Lynnwood.
South Whidbey opened district play with a 9-6 win over Sedro-Woolley Thursday, then throttled Anacortes 19-2 in four innings Saturday.
South Whidbey 9, Sedro-Woolley 6
South Whidbey built a 7-0 lead as starting pitcher Kasen Parsell struck out nine over the first three innings.
Sedro-Woolley got back into the game by scoring three runs in both the fourth and fifth innings.
South Whidbey wasted little time getting on the board, scoring three times in the top of the first inning.
Walks to Jacob Hughes and Parsell, a single by Bryson Taylor and a double by Matthew Tarantino fueled the early rally.
In the second inning, walks to Hughes and Kowen White sandwiched around a Taylor single led to two more runs.
Walks to Hughes, Taylor, Parsell and Jaden Adragna resulted in two more runs in the fourth.
South Whidbey completed its scoring with a pair of runs in the fifth. After Trey Heikkila walked, Hughes doubled and Taylor and White singled to produce the two-spot.
Hughes finished the game with a double, three walks and four runs. Taylor singled twice and scored three times; Tarantino doubled; and White, Aaron Mahar and Josh Warren all singled.
South Whidbey 19, Anacortes 2 (4 innings)
South Whidbey never scored fewer than four runs in each of its at bats in the rout of Anacortes.
After scoring two runs in the first inning, Anacortes had only one more base runner against South Whidbey pitcher Tarantino.
White led the offense with three hits, one a double, and three runs; and Hughes singled three times and scored three runs.
Tarantino doubled and Taylor, Parsell, Adragna, Cohan Criswell, Warren, Tucker Allen, Alexander Zarifis and Heikkila all singled.
Tarantino pitched a two-hitter with eight strikeouts.
Matthew Tarantino fires a pitch during his two-hitter Saturday. (Photo by Jim Waller/South Whidbey Record)
South Whidbey catcher Cohan Criswell snags an outside pitch. (Photo by Jim Waller/South Whidbey Record)
Shortstop Jacob Hughes gets ready to field his position in Saturday’s game. (Photo by Jim Waller/South Whidbey Record)
Kasen Parsell sails around third in the win over Anacortes. (Photo by Jim Waller/South Whidbey Record)
Kowen White safely slides into second base in the Anacortes game. (Photo by Jim Waller/South Whidbey Record)
Matthew Tarantino scores a run for South Whidbey against Anacortes as catcher Max Nibarger awaits the throw. (Photo by Jim Waller/South Whidbey Record)
