First-game jitters hurt the North Whidbey Little League 10/11 baseball team in its 9-4 loss to host Sedro-Woolley in the opening round of the District 11 tournament Monday, July 6.

North Whidbey will face the loser of Sedro-Woolley/Anacortes at 6 p.m. Wednesday and will need to win three straight games to take home the title.

Nerves got the best of North Whidbey, according to coach Kevin Rhew, in the top of the first in what should have been a three-up, three-down inning. Several errors allowed Sedro-Woolley to score three runs.

North Whidbey countered with four runs in its half of the first. Jackson Biggs led off with a walk and eventually scored on a passed ball. With two outs, Tyler Zenger doubled, Brady Towsley reached on interference and Marshall Rhew walked to load the bases, and then Aidan Golden cleared them with a double.

After the big first inning, Sedro-Woolley changed pitchers and the new hurler was “lights out,” according to coach Rhew, allowing no hits, striking out 11 and walking only two.

Sedro-Woolley scored single runs in the second and sixth innings with the help of North Whidbey walks and errors. The winners scored three runs in the fourth on a home run by Baker Sparks.

North Whidbey used five pitchers (Shawn Day, Biggs, Chandler Gisvold, Joe Winnenberg and Cody Duchnowski), and all threw well, according to Rhew.

The defensive highlight, Rhew said, was catcher Brock Boyer’s “absolute bullet” to shortstop Duchnowski that cut down a Sedro-Woolley runner trying to steal second base.

“I hope we got the first-game jitters out of the way and come back strong on defense when we play (next),” Rhew said. “We have the talent to bounce back and win this tournament, and I believe we’ll do just that.”