A thrilling 7-6 win in the second game of a best-of-three series at Windjammer Park wasn’t enough to earn the North Whidbey Little League 10/11 baseball team a trip to the state tournament.

Sedro-Woolley won two of the three games to take the District 11 championship and claim the state berth.

Sedro-Woolley won 7-2 Saturday, July 12, then bounced back from the 7-6 loss Sunday to win the second game of the double header 8-2.

In Saturday’s game, Sedro-Woolley scored four times before North Whidbey finally got on the board with two runs in the third inning.

Gage McLeod reached on an error, then a double by Will Rankin and a single by Anthony Sisson accounted for the two runs.

Those were North Whidbey’s only hits in the game, and only one other batter reached base from that point.

Sedro-Woolley had only four hits but took advantage of eight walks, a hit batter and three errors.

Saturday’s first game was a different story for the North Whidbey offense. With one out in the top of the first inning, Oak Harbor strung together six consecutive hits (singles by McLeod, Ethan Abbott, Rankin, Dylan Robert and Joey Starr and a double by Sisson) to score three runs.

Singles by Hayden Rude, Keegan Dunham and Sisson produced another run in the second.

In the third, North Whidbey made it 5-0 with the help of walks to Roberts, Andrew Score and Dunham and a base hit by McLeod.

Sedro-Woolley scored one in the bottom of the inning, then North Whidbey got it back in the top of the fourth when Rankin scored after hitting a double.

Sedro-Woolley stormed back with a five-run fifth inning to tie the game.

North Whidbey scored the game winner in the top of the sixth. Josh Royek was hit by a pitch scored after a single by Roberts.

Sedro-Woolley appeared to tie the game in the bottom of the sixth on a wild pitch and error, but the runner was called out for leaving second base too early.

McLeod pitched into the sixth inning and recorded seven strikeouts.

North Whidbey scored in the top of the first inning in the championship game on a single by Dunham and an error. That, however, was about it for the North Whidbey offense.

The game remained close until Sedro-Woolley scored four runs in the fifth inning.

North Whidbey’s second run came in the top of the fifth, making it 4-2, when McLeod was hit by a pitch and Royek singled.

North Whidbey finished with only two hits but left nine men stranded.

North Whidbey was coached by Ken Harrison and assistants Mark Cribb and Francis Bagarella.

(North Whidbey second baseman Andrew Score tosses to first baseman Will Rankin. Jim Waller photo.)