A crowd of spectators and two baseball teams helped usher in summer with a classic little league competition at Everest Park on June 15. The game celebrated the recent annexation of Kirkland with the first-ever Little League City Championship.
The Kirkland National “Brewers” took the trophy with a 12-4 win over the Kirkland American “Athletics,” but everyone shared the excitement of sunshine, hot dogs, and sportsmanship.
Mayor Joe McBride kicked off the game, thanking the fans and players on behalf of the Kirkland City Council. “I am honored to be here,” she said, and then led the boys in the Little League Pledge.
A full season, plus four tournament games prepared the teams for the title determining game.
“I told the boys, ‘Let’s go and play our game, and even if we lose 0-10 or 1-2 no one can take away what we did in our regular season,’” said Mark Peterson, manager for the Brewers who also played for the Kirkland National Little League team that won the 1982 World Series. “We have fun, play, and do the best we can. The boys seemed to respond to that very well.”
The Brewers responded very well, clinching the lead from the first two innings, during which they scored five runs to the A’s one. During the third inning, the A’s almost matched the Brewers’ lead, scoring two more runs for a 5-3 score halfway through the game, but the Brewers surged ahead, scoring seven more runs in the final three innings.
“The Brewers are an excellent team,” said Corky Trewin, manager for the A’s. “They pitched well, hit well, caught the ball well and were very well coached.”
Both teams entered the competition prepared to compete, but also ready to have fun, regardless of the outcome.
“We reminded the boys of the desire to continue the process of becoming better players and the thrill of coming back during the game even if we fall short,” said Trewin.
Spectators were hard pressed to find any players falling short of effort during this game. Peterson pointed out the Brewers’ bottom seven hitters made the biggest impact on the game.
“The bottom seven guys in our order were absolutely phenomenal hitting the ball, producing runs, and getting on base,” he said. “They scored half of our runs. That’s huge in Little League when you can have those players producing that much.”
Other game highlights include Jayson Schroeder’s seven strikeouts on the pitching mound (Brewers), a single and a triple by Ryan Trautmann (Brewers), and an RBI Double by Hunter Trewin (A’s).
Manager Trewin emphasized the character building quality of local Little League participation.
“The players, parents, and family members wanted to have fun and learn the game of baseball with the expectation of improving throughout the season,” he said. “We did all of that.”
Kirkland Little League provides baseball and softball recreational competition for boys and girls ages 4-18.
“Little League is a wonderful place to teach and learn in a community setting,” Trewin said. “The City of Kirkland Championship is a great place to bring more players, children, families and volunteers to experience our community.”
After the game, Little League All Star team members were announced. The Kirkland All Star teams will continue on to post-season play.
