JUNE 15, 2002 BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS AT CHICO FIELD
D STRING (10U) RESULTS:
NORTH PERRY 0 0 0 0 1 0 1
EAST BREMRETON 0 0 0 0 2 X 2
For four innings North Perry's Zach Bird and East Bremerton's Howard McDonald battled back-and-forth in a pitcher's duel to determine which team would take home the Kitsap County "D" String Pee Wee title Saturday, June 15, at the Chico Ballfields. But after six innings under overcast skies, it was the East Bremerton boys in their red, white and blue uniforms who hoisted the championship trophy after winning 2-1. East Bremerton looked to get on the scoreboard in the third inning until Bird worked his way out of a bases loaded jam with a strikeout. The tension grew in the fifth as McDonald began to tire and walked the first two batters. After two outs, McDonald walked his third batter of the inning to load the bases. North Perry's Dallas Wilkins broke the scoreless tie when McDonald hit him with a pitch, putting the boys in green and gray up 1-0. Giving up the lead was tough on McDonald who was visibly shaken and on the verge of tears. But buoyed by the support of his infielders, he got the next batter to ground out to first baseman Andre Coleman to end the North Perry scoring threat. In the bottom of the fifth, it appeared that the title might have been North Perry's as Bird got the first two batters for East Bremerton to strike out. McDonald popped the ball up for what looked to be the third out but the North Perry second baseman misjudged the ball and it fell for an error. Connor Jackson stepped up to the plate and hit a hard double to knock in McDonald to tie the score 1-1. James Bergson drove in Jackson to put East Bremerton up 2-1. McDonald picked up two of his 12 strikeouts for the game in the top of the sixth to lock up the win. Bird pitched five innings, striking out eight and issuing six walks.
