The Trail AA Orioles are off to the Washington State American Legion Championships.
The team booked its ticket to the state finals winning three of four games at the district playoffs in Spokane on the weekend.
After opening with an 8-1 win over University High last Thursday, the team defeated Mead 8-7 on Friday to move them within one win of the top two seeds on Saturday.
However, they went up against Mt. Spokane in a battle of undefeated teams and fell 8-2.
Trail still had two opportunities to advance and made the most of their next chance in a matchup against Pullman.
Despite falling behind 4-1 after four innings, the Orioles mounted the comeback by loading the bases for Reese Tambellini to deliver a two-RBI single, which eventually led to a four-run inning and a 5-4 lead.
Trail tacked on two more runs to carry a 7-4 lead into the seventh.
But Pullman wasn’t going quietly.
The team loaded the bases with one out before Brendan McKay zeroed in and closed the door to seal Trail’s berth in the state championships beginning Saturday in Lacey and Olympia, Wash.
“We pitched really well all weekend,” said coach Kyle Mace. “And our good players played great.”
While the players were excited at the prospect of competing for a state title, Mace joked that there were plenty of nerves in the crowd in the late stages of Sunday’s win over Pullman.
“I think the parents were more nervous than the players.”