Camas Little Leaguers go big

Three Camas Little League All-Star baseball teams captured district championship trophies and played at state tournaments in Gig Harbor, Oak Harbor and Vancouver during July.

The Camas 10- and 11-year-old All-Stars finished in first place at the District 4 tournament July 13, at the Harmony Sports Complex. They also became the first team from the league to win four state tournament games.

Camas, Kirkland, North Bothell and Pacific were the final four teams at state in Gig Harbor. Camas defeated Kirkland 6-3 July 20, lost to North Bothell 12-11 July 21, and knocked off defending state champion Federal Way 7-6 July 22.

“I’m proud of the way our kids responded,. They could have just rolled over losing that first game, but they didn’t,” said manager Andrew Ott. “Beating the state champions very was exciting for our boys. We felt like we could beat any team at that point.”

These Camas All-Stars were honored on the field at Cheney Stadium before a Tacoma Rainers game July 23. They also attended a Seattle Mariners game that night.

On Wednesday, they soaked up the sun at Wild Waves in Federal Way. On Thursday, it was once again time to play ball.

Camas beat Bainbridge Island 8-4 Thursday. Drew Ott and Michael Quintana got hits in the first inning for Camas, and both of them came around to score. Christian Knuth led off the fifth inning with a walk, Dante Humble and Jackson Gibbs each had hits, and all three of them touched home plate to give Camas a 5-1 advantage.

Camas added three more runs in the sixth inning on hits by Jackson Day, Tyler Forner and Humble.

Quintana and Day both hit 2-run home runs in the top of the seventh inning to help Camas beat Rainier 9-5 Friday. Gibbs led off the inning with a bunt for a base hit. Ott drove in the leading run with a hit and came in to score on Quintana’s home run. A.J. Ueber added a hit and came in to score on Day’s home run.

“It’s been a total team effort by all 12 players,” said coach Ott. “It’s nice to see the boys come together like that.”

Kirkland defeated Camas 4-0 Saturday, in the semifinals of the consolation bracket. Kirkland and Pacific are playing for the state championship tonight, at 7 p.m.

Camas 9-10 Minors

After beating Cascade 7-0 for the District 4 championship July 8, Camas won its first two games at the state tournament in Oak Harbor.

Camas crushed Ridgefield 21-0 in four innings July 13. Jake Blair went 4-for-4 at the plate and drove in 6 runs. Zachariah Shaw, Braden Sanville and Cameron Smith combined to pitch a shut out.

Camas outlasted Bainbridge Island 12-9 in a slugfest July 14. Blair went 3-for-3 in this game and knocked in 6 more runs, including a 3-run home run.

Marysville bested Camas 8-6 in the semifinal round July 16. Mercer Island defeated Camas 8-3 in a loser out game July 17.“These boys competed against the absolute best baseball teams from the state and performed at a level that the city of Camas should be proud of,” said manager John Blair. “They are all champions in my book.”The team of 9- and 10-year-olds from Camas were the first team in the league to win two games in the state tournament. The 10-11 Camas All-Stars became the second one on their rise to four wins at state.

Camas 11-12 Majors

Camas defeated Evergreen 2-0 in the District 4 championship game July 9, at Hockinson Meadows Park, to become the first 11- and 12-year-old team from the league to qualify for state.

Camas and West Seattle battled into the eighth inning July 13, before West Seattle emerged victorious 5-4 in the first round of the state tournament, at Luke Jensen Sports Park, in Vancouver. Richland defeated Camas 7-2 July 15, in a loser out game.

Camas scored a combined total of 77 runs in the district and state tournaments on 89 hits, 28 doubles, 4 triples and 8 home runs. Carson Williams gained 3 wins on the mound. Ryan Behnke and Shane Jamison also earned pitching victories.