(Photos by Barry J. White)

4 PM: Just in from Sedro-Woolley – the West Seattle Little League All-Star 12s are state champions, beating Pacific (in their third faceoff) 8-4. Thanks again to Cami MacNamara for the updates, and thanks to Barry J. White for the photo above (added 4:13 pm). Barry adds, “The team now plays as Washington in the Northwest regional. Play begins next weekend in San Bernardino, CA.” More later!

ADDED 4:28 PM: The double play that ended the game:

Thanks for the video (by Stephen Foster)!

ADDED 8:32 PM: More photos/highlights from Barry J. White:

The teams and umpires arrayed for the national anthem.

Tristan Buehring is greeted at home following his three-run homer to right that capped a five-run second inning for Westside.

The players huddle before each at-bat to motivate for hits and runs. It seemed to work. West Seattle scored 60 runs in seven games to easily outpace the tournament field.

Eli Palmer got the start three days after a rough outing against the same Pacific side. He came through in the clutch today, pitching into the fifth inning and giving up three runs on six hits.

Caden Fahy steams to third following Palmer’s double in the bottom of the fifth.

Robbie Foisy reacts to his teammates in the dugout after a two-out double that scored Fahy and Palmer. It put Westside up 8-4 after Pacific had rallied to within a run.

Parker Eley jumps into the arms of Miles Gosztola after third baseman Bobby Trigg started a crisp 5-4-3 double play to end the game. Eley recorded the final five outs to pick up his second save in as many days.

Scenes of delirium on the infield.

Skillful play, camaraderie, and class won Westside a lot of new fans during their runs through the district and state tournaments. West Seattle can be proud of their first representative on the regional stage. Manager Mike Fahy and coaches Sean Eley and Brian Sherick have done a masterful job keeping the kids motivated and focused during their winning run.

And Kathy Powers, WSLL communications, wants to be sure you know the names of all the state-champ players:

Blake Taft, Bobby Trigg, Caden Fahy, Eli Palmer, Jake Daily, Joe Sherick, Matthew Hazlegrove, Matthew Henning, Miles Gosztola, Parker Eley, Robbie Foisy, Simon Vance, Tristan Buehring, Wyatt Glover

Regionals, she tells us, start one week from today – August 5th.

P.S. Thanks to Cami and Kathy for word that this is the first WSLL 12s (Majors) team to win a state championship. This team won the 11s championship last year but that age group does not move on to regional competition – this one does, and it’s a WSLL first.

3:32 PM: The West Seattle Little League 12-year-old All-Stars bounced back with a victory in their must-win game at Sedro-Woolley, so they’re off to the state championship game tomorrow! The photo and report are from Barry J. White:

Scenes of joy in the Skagit as the West Seattle Little League All Stars hang on for a thrilling 7-6 win over Pacific to advance to the winner-take-all state championship game and a trip to regionals. The two teams meet for the third time in four days tomorrow at Tesarik Field in Sedro-Woolley. Regardless of tomorrow’s outcome, today’s game of spectacular defensive plays, hitting stars, and unlikely pitching heroes will live long in memory.

More later! Thanks also to Cami MacNamara for updates via Twitter, including the moment of victory and jubilation that followed:

ADDED SATURDAY NIGHT: Barry’s photos of game highlights:

A Pacific solo home run in the top of the first staked them to an early lead, which was quickly answered by a solo shot from Tristan Buehring in the bottom of the frame. The hit helped ignite offense in the early innings for Westside.

Miles Gosztola (L) worked four innings, allowing two runs and striking out nine. Multiple baserunners and long at-bats ran up his maximum pitch count earlier than desired, and he was replaced by a trio of relievers. Parker Eley (R) was pressed into service to work the the sixth, and he struck out the final hitter to end the game, stranding two runners in scoring position.

Manager Mike Fahy visits the mound to settle down his starter.

Second baseman Joe Sherick makes the defensive gem of the tournament with a diving catch of hot line drive, and from the seat of his pants nails the runner trying to return to second. Pacific had loaded the bases with no outs but came away empty.

Joy at home as Robbie Foisy ends a long at-bat with a solo home run in the fourth. Gosztola would follow with his own long ball later in the inning, giving Westside a 7-2 cushion. They would need all the runs to withstand a late Pacific rally.

UPDATE: As noted in comments, the championship game is at 2 pm Sunday.

8:45 PM: Thanks again to Barry J. White for the photo and report on today’s game in Sedro-Woolley:

It was equal parts relief and elation as the West Seattle All-Stars rallied for five runs in the fifth and held on for a 5-3 win over Sammamish to stay alive in the 2018 State Tournament in Sedro-Woolley. The win knocks Sammamish out and sets up a rematch with Pacific at 12:00 tomorrow at Tesarik Field. Westside needs to win to set up a winner-take-all game on Sunday.

Barry promises more later – so check back for additions!

ADDED SATURDAY MORNING: Game highlights as promised:

Westside turned to Matthew Henning to keep the season alive and he responded with a strong outing, pitching into the sixth inning as he surrendered two runs while striking out seven. Caden Fahy inherited a bases-loaded jam but limited the damage to pick up the save.

Miles Gosztola prepares to be mobbed by teammates at the plate after his one-out home run in the bottom of the fifth finally got Westside on the board and tied the score. Westside had stranded multiple runners in three of the previous innings.

Jake Daily watches his two-run home run, his second in the last two games, clear the left field fence. Eli Palmer would follow with a solo shot for the third homer of the inning.

The team takes a traditional postgame walk past the stands to salute its supporters.

Today, they are in the semifinals of the state tournament. On Wednesday, when they had an offday, the West Seattle Little League 12 All-Stars did volunteer work! Ben Palmer sent the photo and report:

Taking a break from state baseball tournament and helping at the local food bank. These kids are awesome!

Today at 4 in Sedro-Woolley, the team plays Pacific.

(Added: Photos by Barry J. White)

6:24 PM: Via the GameChanger app (thanks to Cami MacNamara for the tip!), the West Seattle Little League 12-year-old All-Stars have done it again, winning 5-1, over Sammamish, at the state tournament in Sedro-Woolley. Next game: Thursday afternoon, vs. the winner of the Pacific vs. Auburn game, which is set to start shortly.

9:49 PM: Thanks to Barry J. White for again sharing photos and a summary:

West Seattle Little League All-Stars continue to impress at the 2018 state tournament with an all-around display of power pitching, timely hitting, and solid defense.

(Above, Miles Gosztola slides into second after picking up the first of his two RBIs. He took the mound on his birthday and got the win while giving up one run on four hits and striking out eight.)

(Above, Blake Taft takes third on a passed ball and would later score the team’s final run on an infield hit.)

The team moves on to the semifinals on Thursday at 4:00 at Tesarik Field in Sedro-Woolley.

Thanks to proud mom Maija Wade for the photo and report on her son’s achievement:

Today at the BRI Seafair Triathlon Kids Long Course, 10 year old Marshall Wade of Gatewood Elementary School won 1st place in his age group, 1st among all male youth participants, and 3rd place overall.

The Kids Long Course includes a 100-yard swim, 2-mile bike ride, and 1-mile run.

This is Marshall’s second Seafair Triathlon and his first podium finish. After the event, Marshall said, “It was very fun and my goal is to have fun! … We as kids can do this!”

The event was held at Seward Park.

(Photos added 9:22 pm – by Barry J. White)

7:18 PM: Thanks again to Cami MacNamara for another report from Sedro-Woolley, where the West Seattle Little League All-Star 12s scored another big state-tournament win today, this time against Walla Walla, with the game called at 14-0 in the fifth inning. As shown on the official bracket, their next game is Tuesday, 4 pm vs. Sammamish.

9:22 PM: Thanks to Barry J. White for sending photos and a summary:

Miles Gosztola pitched three dominant innings, allowing no hits while striking out seven.

Robbie Foisy relieved him and pitched two hitless innings and striking out three.

Matthew Henning smacked a three-run homer as part of a six-run third inning that broke the game open. As they have throughout this run, the team helped itself with aggressive baserunning and sharp defense.

Jake Webster, one of two captains of the Chief Sealth International High School boys’ soccer teams, is inviting younger players to a camp coming up July 30th-August 2nd, 9 am-2 pm each day:

This soccer camp is for children going into 3rd-9th grade and is great for a player of any skill level. The camp focuses on skill development, teamwork and leadership, as well as life values and traits. The Chief Sealth soccer camp is led by past and present players of both the boys’ and girls’ programs at Sealth and is a great opportunity for students segueing into Sealth to meet and bond with players and coaching staff at the varsity level. For the four days, the cost per child is $100 and includes a T-Shirt at the end of the camp.

Here’s the registration form (PDF)

(Photo by Danny Ngan)

Thanks to Tanya Powers for this report on national-championship competition ahead for the Seattle Derby Brats‘ Galaxy Girls, a third of whom are from West Seattle:

They will be heading to Philadelphia to compete for Junior Roller Derby Association (JRDA) Championships this coming weekend, July 20th to the 22nd! They are currently ranked 2nd place in the country and have won championships the last 3 years.

2 skaters attend Chief Sealth: Brady aka Sophie Maskill and Anita Getcha aka Rosemary Alliston. 3 skaters attend West Seattle High School: Seven Skate Nine aka Morgayne Lawson, SchloMo aka Gaby Rose, and Fighty aka Mikki Dysart. It is Mikki’s last year with Seattle Derby Brats as she will be attending college at University of Pennsylvania next year.

Our coaches Patrice Davis and Erin Clark also have West Seattle roots. Our league was founded in West Seattle and is the largest league in the United States! Please wish them luck!!! More info about champs here. Streaming watch passes will be available here.

The West Seattle Little League players who’ve just won district championships are starting their quests to win state titles! The photo and update are from WSLL’s Kathy Powers:

Congratulations to West Seattle Little League 12’s for clinching the District 7 title this week. Pictured are players Blake Taft, Bobby Trigg, Caden Fahy, Eli Palmer, Jake Daily, Joe Sherick, Matthew Henning, Matthew Hazlegrove, Miles Gosztola, Parker Eley, Robbie Foisy, Simon Vance, TJ Buehring and Wyatt Glover, along with Manager Mike Fahy and Coaches Sean Eley and Brian Sherick.

Both the 11’s and 12’s will represent District 7 for the State title.

The 11’s will play their tournament at Pacwest fields in Seatac (14649 16th Ave S). Their first game is Sunday, July 15th (today!) at 12:30. Bracket link here.

The 12’s will play their tournament in Sedro-Woolley. Their first game will be Saturday July 21st at Noon. Bracket link here.

We invite the community to come cheer our players on!

10:22 PM: Thanks to Cami MacNamara for the photo and report from tonight’s championship game in the West Seattle Little League-hosted District 7 11/12 tournament at Bar-S: WSLL came from behind for the second game in a row and won the title, 6-5! They were down 5-3 but won the game with a big comeback inthe bottom of the sixth inning. Next up, the state tournament in Sedro-Woolley. The champs play the host team there, District 11, at noon on Saturday, July 21st.

10:52 PM: Added, a photo sent by Porter Hammer:

Porter explains that’s WSLL’s Bobby Trigg, “after hitting a triple, driving in 2 RBIs that tied the game in the bottom of the 6th (last) inning; then he came into score on a hit by the next batter to win the game.”

(WSB photos)

With a come-from-behind win at Bar-S Playfield tonight, the West Seattle Little League 11/12 All-Star team has made it into the championship game of the District 7 tournament. They were trailing 1-0 late in the game when Matthew Henning (seen below in an earlier at-bat) slugged a 2-run homer.

You’re invited to help pack the stands Thursday night at 6 when the WSLL team goes for the district title. (Bar-S is at 64th SW and SW Admiral Way.)

(WSB photos by Patrick Sand. Above, Miles Gosztola pitching)

Just in from Bar-S – the West Seattle Little League 11/12 All-Stars win again! We stopped by for a few photos during this morning’s District 7 tournament game vs. Rainier.

(Bobby Trigg sliding)

Thanks to Cami MacNamara for sending the final score – 20-0, in four innings. WSLL plays again Tuesday at 6 pm. But there’s more baseball to come today – two other teams play at noon – as the tournament field continues narrowing .

(Jake Daily at bat)

You can see the brackets here. The championship game will be at 6 pm Thursday.

Two announcements today from West Seattle Little League:

ALL-STAR TOURNAMENT STARTS SATURDAY: Bar-S Playfield will host the 12-year-olds’ All-Star Tournament, starting with WSLL’s game at 9 am Saturday. WSLL’s Kathy Powers adds, “Our own WSLL team won the State Championship last year so we are excited to kick off this tournament and host!” You’ll find the brackets on the WSLL website.

BATTING CAGE IMPROVEMENT: Just happened last week!

Richie Wallace, former ball player at WSLL [in photo with WSLL VP David Sazama], improved our batting cage last week for his Boy Scouts Eagle Project! The new cage not only looks great, but is now usable year around with a proper pitching mound and new sport turf that took care of previous drainage issues.

Thank you, Richie Wallace and Troop 274 of the BSA Mount Tahoma District.

Bar-S, home of WSLL, is at 6425 SW Admiral Way.

Thanks to Kathy Powers from West Seattle Little League for the photo and report:

Congrats to West Seattle Little League’s 11-Year-Old All-Star Team, who clinched the District 7 Championship today.

Manager – Otis Moore, Coaches – Justin Buehring & Matt LaBella, Players – Andrew Rhinehart, Caden Ross, Cameron Fitterer, Cody Buehring, Cody Sazama, Duncan Monnin, Henry Newgard, Hudson Harding, Ivan Moore, Jesse LaBella, Jones Kasperson, Lincoln Scott, Reese Holmes.

On to the State Tournament at Pacwest starting July 14th. Go Westside!

(Photo of Miss HomeStreet, tweeted by @homestreetbank last weekend)

West Seattle’s HomeStreet Bank (4022 SW Alaska; WSB sponsor) will host its namesake hydroplane, Miss HomeStreet, this Thursday (June 28th), and you’re invited to stop by and see it 3-5 pm. This isn’t just any hydroplane – the Miss HomeStreet team won the national championship again last year, and took second place in this year’s first race, in Alabama just last weekend. The Miss HomeStreet’s season will of course include Seafair, first weekend in August.

Two things the West Seattle Soccer Club wants to make sure you know – sent by Tim McMonigle:

With almost a thousand players already registered, we are rapidly coming to the end of our open registration period for the West Seattle Soccer Club 2018 fall season. After July 1, players will only be placed if there is room available on a team. The club exists for players from 5-18 years old, so please register before the deadline.

Play begins right after Labor Day, and will end before Thanksgiving for most ages. The older teams may have some games into early December. Hopefully the World Cup will motivate the players to get out on the pitch to show their stuff.

Also, this is WSSC’s 50th Anniversary, having started in our community in 1968. We are planning a celebration for (new date) September 8th, and hopefully will have some of our founders and early soccer participants available to share stories, along with a lot of food and fun events. If you were part of the WSSC in the late ’60s/early ’70s, please contact us at wsscboard@gmail.com. We’d love to see some old team photos and stories of the early years of our program.