Kirkland to play in regional championship game

Locals are 4-0 in tournament

They’re on to the championship game.

Kirkland’s majors softball all-stars defeated Oregon for the second time, 10-0, in the semifinals on Thursday morning at the Western Regionals in San Bernardino, California.

The title game is at 6 p.m. Thursday and Kirkland will play Arizona, which beat Southern California, 2-0, in today’s other semifinal. Kirkland and Arizona are both 4-0 in the tourney.

Against Oregon in the four-inning game, Kirkland pitchers Kya Aldrich and Christina Minor combined for a no-hitter. Aldrich pitched the first three innings and Minor closed it out. Aldrich fanned three batters and Minor struck out one.

Kirkland scored two runs in the first inning, three in the second and five in the third.

Hot with the bats for the locals were Aldrich and Kaidence Caiola with a double and two RBIs each; Mary Madaline Roe with a triple and an RBI; Minor had a single, an RBI and scored two runs; and Hailey Story had a single and two RBIs. Bella Ely scored two runs.

Earlier in the tourney, the state champs knocked off Oregon, 11-1, Alaska, 15-1, and Montana, 21-0.

All the games are broadcast live on ESPN+ https://plus.espn.com/ and updates on the team are posted on the Kirkland National Little League Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/Kirkland-National-Little-League-472644865353/

The regionals winner will advance to the Little League World Series on Aug. 8-15 in Portland, Oregon.