The Oak Harbor Legion A baseball team fell 11-4 to Bellingham South in the first round of the district tournament Thursday, July 15, at Mount Vernon’s Sherman Anderson Field.

The Wildcats, the No. 7 seed, play today at 4 p.m. at Sherman Anderson Field against Grizzly Baseball (Glacier Peak High School), the No. 5 seed, in a loser-out match. The Grizzlies were 13-8 in league play; Oak Harbor 4-18. The teams split during the league season. The Grizzlies won the first match 12-0; Oak Harbor took the second 13-4.

Oak Harbor’s other Legion team, the AA squad, plays its first district game today, July 16, at 6:30 p.m. at the Skagit Valley Dream Field (Skagit Valley College) against Stanwood. Oak Harbor, the No. 3 seed, finished with an 8-4 league record. Stanwood, the No. 6 seed, was 2-10. Oak Harbor defeated the Cannons twice during the regular season, 11-1 and 14-3.

In the first inning of the Legion A, Bellingham South (14-6) game, Oak Harbor starter Tanner McLaughlin hit a batter, then with two outs surrendered a bloop, RBI single just out of the reach of first baseman Glenn Mueller. Four straight walks forced in two more runs.

Oak Harbor scored one in the top of the second when Mueller led off with a double and scored on a ground out by Nathanael Stanford.

Bellingham South, the No. 2 seed, added three more in the bottom of the second, and again all three came with two outs. One of the runs was unearned.

Down 6-1, Oak Harbor scored again the in third. Cory Cameron walked, stole second and scored on an error.

Bellingham South tacked on another run in the third, but an Oak Harbor double play helped stop further damage.

The winners finished their scoring in the fourth, going up 11-3.

The Wildcats were stung by a bit a bad luck in the contest. Nine of Bellingham South’s 11 runs came with two outs. Also, in the winner’s four-run fourth, they had their first hit since that first-inning bloop single that cleared an infielder’s head. In between they had four infield hits and three that grounded between infielders.

Oak Harbor picked up its final run in the fifth. After Brant Johnson and McLaughlin singled, Mueller slugged his second double of the game to score Johnson.

Mueller not only had a fine day at the plate, but he also pitched two innings of scoreless relief.

Andrew Snavely was 2-for-2 with a walk.

Oak Harbor coach Camden Schutte said his club’s play “was a little bit sloppy but, overall, not too bad.”

He said the highlights were Mueller’s performance and that his team was able to produce four runs on just seven hits.