For the third year in a row a team from Kirkland will be the host squad for the Junior Softball World Series (JSWS) after defeating a team from Bellevue, 8-1, at Everest Park in Kirkland on Thursday night.

The JSWS will be played in Kirkland on Aug. 10-16 at Everest Park in Kirkland and is the official championship tournament for girls fastpitch softball for Little League.

During the District 9 championship, Kirkland was led by pitcher Tori Bivens, who racked up 15 strikeouts and was 3-for-4 at the plate. Teammate Abby Anthis was 3-for-4 and Anastasia Kotsakis had a triple.

The team from Kirkland crushed Bellevue, which also has players from Mercer Island, on Tuesday, 16-0 to advance to the championship game.

Last year the team from Kirkland tied its best showing for a host team in tournament history, finishing second overall. In 2012, the team finished third.

Bivens is also on a roll. The freshman pitcher led the Lake Washington High School softball team to the state title during spring and pitched for the Kirkland team last year during the JSWS.

The Junior Softball World Series is one of the biggest events of the summer in Kirkland, drawing more than 6,000 people. The championship will be broadcast on ESPN.

The 2014 team is comprised of Lindsay Allan, Anthis, Bivens, Kayla Henry, Elena Impala, Kotsakis, Emma Pruss, Olivia Rudolph, Mya Schaaf, Taylor Sheldon and Alexis Welsh.