Little League: Three teams in position to move on to state, world series

Of the five Little League divisions with Kirkland All-Star teams, four have wrapped up District 9 tournaments.

By John William Howard • July 14, 2016 7:53 pm
The Kirkland Junior Softball All-Star team stands with the District 9 championship banner after beating Bellevue in the district title game
The Kirkland Junior Softball All-Star team stands with the District 9 championship banner after beating Bellevue in the district title game

Of the five Little League divisions with Kirkland All-Star teams, four have wrapped up District 9 tournaments.

One Kirkland team has already pinned down a spot in the state tournament, while another has already made the shortlist for the Junior Softball World Series. A third team is scheduled to fight for the district title this weekend.

Here’s where things stand as of Thursday, July 14:

District 9 Baseball

8/9/10 All-Stars

Kirkland American and Kirkland National teams both lost in the first round on July 2 at South Mercer Park on Mercer Island. Kirkland American went on to beat Falls in the first round of consolation before losing to Sammamish on July 4.

Kirkland National lost to Redmond North in the first round on consolation on July 3.

Mercer Island beat Sammamish for the 8/9/20 District 9 title on July 10.

9/10/11 All-Stars

The Kirkland American and National All-Star teams met up in the consolation bracket on June 26 at Hartman Park in Redmond, with Kirkland American moving on to a June 29 loss to Bellevue Thunderbird.

Kirkland American had a first-round bye, and lost to Issaquah 11-0 on June 26. Mercer Island beat Kirkland National, 11-2, in the first round on June 25, and went on to beat Eastlake in the final on July 6.

Majors Baseball

Kirkland National is into the championship semifinals against Redmond North, scheduled for 10 a.m. on Saturday, July 16 at Centennial Fields Park in Snoqualamie.

Kirkland National beat Bellevue East and Sammamish in the first two rounds, before beating Redmond West on July 13 to reach the semifinals.

Kirkland American beat Snoqualamie on the first day of the tournament, July 9, but lost to Redmond West in the second round. Kirkland American went on to lose to Mercer Island in the second round of consolation on July 11.

District 9 Softball

8/9/10 Softball

Kirkland won the District 9 title with a 1-0 victory over Redmond on Monday, July 11, at Everest Park thanks to a perfect game from pitcher Kya Aldrich.

After a first-round bye, Kirkland beat Falls, Sammamish and Snohomish Valley-North to reach the final. Kirkland is scheduled to open the 8/9/10 state tournament on July 16.

Junior Softball

Kirkland’s Junior Softball team had the right stuff on Thursday, June 30.

Fighting for an automatic bid to the Junior Softball World Series, scheduled to begin July 31 at Everest Park, Kirkland edged Bellevue in the District 9 title game to secure a spot in the 18th-annual local showcase.

Kirkland beat Eastlake/Sammamish in the first round on June 27 before knocking Bellevue into the consolation bracket.

Major Softball

The Kirkland Major team forced an extra game in the District 9 tournament with Eastlake, but ultimately lost the final on June 17 at Everest Park and fell one game short of the state tournament.

Kirkland beat Bellevue to open the tournament on June 11, but lost to Eastlake in the second game on June 12. Kirkland beat Issaquah/Sammamish, Snoqualamie Valley/Falls and Redmond/Snohomish Valley-North in consolation play to reach the finals.

Kirkland took the first game of the finals on June 16, but lost the rematch with Eastlake.