Oak Harbor’s Babe Ruth 14-year-old baseball players captured a state tournament berth last week the hard way.

The local team started the tourney off with an 8-2 loss to Mount Vernon, putting them in the losers’ bracket from the get-go. The team bounced back, however, winning three straight to nab the final state tournament bid. The day after the loss to Mount Vernon, OH recovered with a 16-5 win over Bellingham and a 10-5 victory over Sedro-Woolley.

“Every hitter up and down the line-up got a hit, they couldn’t pitch around anyone,” head coach John Humphries said.

Oak Harbor continued its impressive run the following day with a 13-6 victory over Burlington.

OH fell behind 2-0 to start the contest, but rallied from behind with several extra base hits in the fifth inning.

“I’m extremely proud of this group of young men, they worked hard and kept learning even when things just didn’t go our way…,” Humphries said.

Oak Harbor plays in the state tournament July 19-24 at Snider Park in Poulsbo.