HOQUIAM — Pool play was close to perfect for the North Olympic Peninsula teams competing in the Pacific Northwest Babe Ruth Softball tourney Thursday and Friday.
The story of the tournament has been the little girls who could.
In two days of 10U play the Forks team that didn’t even expect to be here has gone 4-0 and earned the first seed in bracket play.
In their opening game against Umpqua Valley on Thursday, they traded leads until the final inning when, trailing 10-8, they scored three runs in the top of the inning, and then held on to secure an 11-10 win.
They continued to roll in their three games Friday.
They beat Ellensburg 15-3, Meridian, Id., 8-4, and then finished the day by shutting out state champion Hoquiam 4-0.
In 12U play, North Olympic remained perfect.
They opened with an ugly 11-10 win over Hoquiam. It was the first game of the tournament season in which they have been behind, but they scored three runs in the final inning to win.
Then they had another extra-inning tilt with Ellensburg.
Tied 2-2 after six innings, the North Olympic girls scored four runs in the top of the seventh to win 6-2.
On Friday they defeated an undermanned Upper Rogue, Ore., team 15-2 to enter bracket play as the top seed.
The only thing to spoil the Peninsula’s perfect record was North Olympic’s opening-game loss in 16U play Thursday.
North Olympic had nemesis Hoquiam on the ropes, leading 5-3 going into the bottom of the seventh.
But Hoquiam loaded the bases and then cleared them with a game-ending triple to win 6-5.
Friday North Olympic responded by squaring their record with a 13-3 win over Umpqua Valley, Ore.
Those same two teams were scheduled to meet Saturday in elimination play.
