Local Little League teams are off to a good start, capturing two of the three district tournaments completed so far and picking up berths in the state playoffs with the district titles.

The North Whidbey Junior (13/14) team, coached by Ryan McCarthy, won both of its district games in Anacortes to lift its record to 17-0 and qualify for the state tournament to be played at the Glenwood Little League complex in Vancouver starting July 19.

The Central Whidbey 9/10 softball team, coached by Mimi Johnson, overcame a loss in the first round to North Whidbey to win the District 11 crown in Mount Vernon. Its state tournament is also on the Glenwood fields beginning July 11.

Two more Little League divisions began district play this week. The 9/10 baseball playoffs are in Oak Harbor at Windjammer Park. North Whidbey played Tuesday; results were not available at press time.

Host Sedro-Woolley defeated North Whidbey 9-4 in the first round of the 10/11 baseball tournament Monday. North Whidbey will play a loser-out game at 6 p.m. Wednesday.

Junior Baseball

North Whidbey used late surges to collect its two wins. Thursday, July 2, it scored seven runs in the sixth inning on the way to defeating South Skagit 15-7. Saturday, July 4, it wrapped up the championship by scoring seven runs over the final two innings to rip Anacortes 12-2.

In the win over Anacortes, Ethan Cosper led the late-game explosion with a three-run home run.

The Wildcats wasted little time taking the lead. In the top of the first, Jakob Dailey and Jason Bergeron singled. After an out, Bergeron stole second, went to third on a passed ball and then scored on a single by Nathanael Thompson.

After Anacortes tied the game with a run in the second inning, North Whidbey went up 5-1 with a four-run third. With one out, Bergeron and Thompson singled. Bergeron scored on an error and Thompson was driven home on a single by McCarthy.

David Sisson walked with two outs, then Jacob Palbicki-Hoover ripped a two-run triple.

Anacortes scored once in the bottom of the third to make it 5-2 and was still in the game, then North Whidbey scored four runs in the fifth and three in the sixth.

In the fifth,  Aiden McCarthy singled and Cosper tripled for one run. Cosper scored on David Sisson’s sacrifice fly center field. Devin Day walked and scored on Luke Golden’s triple, then Golden scored on Johnny Bradley’s groundout.

In the sixth, Thompson and McCarthy walked with one out, then Cosper blasted a home run to left to cap the scoring.

North Whidbey pitcher McCarthy held Anacortes scoreless in the sixth, striking out the final two batters, to end the game on the 10-run mercy rule.

McCarthy pitched a five-hitter, striking out 10 and walking only two.

He was also one of the hitting stars, finishing with three hits, three runs, an RBI and seven stolen bases.

Cosper, Daily, Bergeron and Thompson each collected two hits.

9/10 Softball

After Central Whidbey lost 11-10 to North Whidbey in the opening round, it had to win three straight to wrap up the championship.

First it defeated Sedro-Woolley 12-6 Thursday, then it needed to stop North Whidbey twice. Friday, Central Whidbey won 20-10, and then took the title with a 15-8 win Saturday.

In the first win over North Whidbey, Central Whidbey went up 7-1, then North Whidbey came back to tie the game with six runs in the bottom of the third inning.  Central Whidbey recovered and controlled the game from that point.

Central Whidbey scored two runs in the first inning when Kaia Richmond and McKaela Meffert walked and scored on wild pitches.

North Whidbey scored once in the bottom of the second inning when Abby Ries walked and advanced on three wild pitches.

Central Whidbey used six walks and a single by Larue to score five runs in the top of the third.

North Whidbey tied the game with six runs in its half when It blended three walks with hits by Lily McCollum, Britney Day, Emily Wilson and Emily Steinke.

Central Whidbey strong finish started with five runs in the fourth. Meffert doubled, Isabelle Wells and Abby Mulholland singled, and four teammates walked to fuel the big inning.

Three walks, another Meffert double and singles by Wells and Mckenna Somes led to four runs in the fifth inning.

In the sixth, two walks and singles by Meffert, Chanel Sterba and Somes produced four more runs.

North Whidbey scored once in the fourth on base hits by Steinke, Ries and McCollum.

A single by Rallye Chambers and three walks created two runs for North Whidbey in the fifth.

Meffert led all batters with three hits. Wells, Sterba and Somes each had two for Central Whidbey.

Steinke, McCollum and Chambers singled twice for North Whidbey.

Central Whidbey was aided by 21 walks.

Central Whidbey set off its own fireworks with an 11-run fourth inning to come from behind and defeat North Whidbey 15-9 in the championship game Saturday.

Down 8-4, Central Whidbey sent 14 batters to the plate in the fourth inning and scored 11 runs with the help of 10 walks and two hits by Meffert.

North Whidbey, coached by Tashina Tosh, started the game with two runs in the first inning. Wilson led off with a walk and scored after several stolen bases and passed balls. Hits by Isabella Whalen and McCollum accounted for the second run.

Central Whidbey immediately responded with three runs on an error, walk and hits by Richmond and Sterba.

In the second inning, North Whidbey tallied five times, blending three walks with hits by Abigail Andersen and Wilson.

Central Whidbey scored once in its half of the inning when Richmond walked and eventually scored on a wild pitch.

After a scoreless third inning, North Whidbey went up 8-4 in the fourth with a run on hits by Steinke, Peyton Samek and McCollum.

Central Whidbey followed with its 11-run explosion and held on for the win.

North Whidbey could muster only one more run off of fifth-inning hits by Andersen and Steinke.

10/11 Baseball

First-game jitters got the best of North Whidbey in its round-one loss, according to coach Kevin Rhew. The top of the first should have been a three-up, three-down inning, be said, but several errors allowed Sedro-Woolley to score three runs.

North Whidbey countered with four runs in its half of the first. Jackson Biggs led off with a walk and eventually scored on a passed ball. With two outs, Tyler Zenger doubled, Brady Towsley reached on interference and Marshall Rhew walked to load the bases, and then Aidan Golden cleared them with a double.

After the big first inning, Sedro-Woolley changed pitchers and the new hurler was “lights out,” according to coach Rhew, allowing no hits, striking out 11 and walking only two.

Sedro-Woolley scored single runs in the second and sixth innings with the help of North Whidbey walks and errors. The winners scored three runs in the fourth on a home run by Baker Sparks.

North Whidbey used five pitchers (Shawn Day, Biggs, Chandler Gisvold, Joe Winnenberg and Cody Duchnowski), and all threw well, according to Rhew.

The defensive highlight, Rhew said, was catcher Brock Boyer’s “absolute bullet” to shortstop Duchnowski that cut down a Sedro-Woolley runner trying to steal second base.

“I hope we got the first-game jitters out of the way and come back strong on defense when we play (next),” Rhew said.

“We have the talent to bounce back and win this tournament, and I believe we’ll do just that.”