MARYSVILLE — With unflagging determination, the Stilly Valley Blackjacks came back from a 6-0 deficit to win their final game of pool play in the Strawberry Tournament June 3.
It took eight innings, but the Stilly Valley Little League team scored seven unanswered runs, starting in the bottom of the third, to qualify for bracket play in the second half of the tournament at Marysville’s Cedar Field.
The Lake Stevens Dodgers took advantage of some early game jitters by the Blackjacks, with hits from four of their first five players, scoring three runs in the first inning including two on defensive overthrows. The Dodgers added three more runs in the top of the third inning.
But the Blackjacks started finding a rhythm on offense, with a little help from a new Dodger pitcher. Tristen Jones and Tim Kolling got on base with hits early in the inning and Noah Jones loaded the bases for Stilly Valley. The bases remained loaded as Nick Sampson got on base on a fielder’s choice at home, but with two outs, the Blackjacks rallied. First baseman Michael Pedan doubled to right center field, batting in Kolling and Jones. An RBI by Brandon Brockwell cut the Dodgers lead in half going into the fourth inning.
Despite two baserunners in the top of the fourth, the Stilly Valley defense held off additional runs by Lake Stevens.
In the fourth inning, they continued to cut into the Lake Stevens lead.
Blake Hawthaway singled to lead off the inning and his pinch runner, Austin Peters, scored on a pass ball at home. Noah Sorenson got his biggest hit of the game, a double to deep center field, which he turned into a run, stealing home. Jones doubled too, tying the game in the bottom of the fourth, off of an RBI double by Sampson.
Manager Scott Kolling credited Sorenson’s stolen run with helping energize the team in their rally.
Although both teams had hits in the fifth through seventh innings, it took an eighth inning — two more than the league-usual six — for the Blackjacks to breakthrough with the game-winning run.
Hawthaway, who helped come up with a key stop of the Dodgers’ lead runner in the top of the eighth, led off with a hit. He was stopped on a fielder’s choice, but Sorenson got on base, setting up Tim Kolling’s walk-off triple to bat in the winning run.
“We can score 10 runs in an inning,” said manager Scott Kolling, whose team returns five players from the one that placed in this tournament last year. “It’s Little League baseball. You keep your head up and you never know what can happen.”
Noah Jones started on the mound for the Blackjacks and Sorenson picked up the save.
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