The Oak Harbor High School baseball team defeated host Marysville Getchell 8-1 for the second day in a row Tuesday, May 5, earning the Wildcats a tie for the Western Conference 3A North championship.

While the Wildcats were beating the Chargers, Marysville-Pilchuck fell to Stanwood, leaving Oak Harbor and M-P knotted at 11-4 in Wesco play and atop the North standings.

The Tomahawks, however, will receive the No. 1 seed into the playoffs because they defeated Oak Harbor twice in their three-game series earlier this season.

Oak Harbor (13-6) will begin the double-elimination, eight-team district tournament as the No. 3 seed and host Meadowdale (12-8) at 1 p.m. Saturday, May 9, in the opening round.

The pitching of Trent Benson and the bat of Brent Mertins helped carry Oak Harbor by Marysville Getchell Tuesday.

Benson, who received relief help from Avery Aguirre in the seventh inning, gave up only five hits and no earned runs, struck out three and walked one.

Three of the hits came in the fourth inning when Oak Harbor led only 2-0. The Chargers loaded the bases with no outs, but a strikeout, fly out and line out ended the threat.

Mertins smashed a triple and two doubles to lead the offense.

He tripled in C.J. Meders, who had singled, for a first-inning run. Tyler Snavely followed with a base hit to plate Mertins.

The Wildcats went hitless over the next three innings and then erupted for five fifth-inning runs, all with two outs.

Mertins doubled and scored on Snavely’s single. An error and single by Robert Herring scored Snavely.

Clay Doughty then walked and Preston Rankin singled for another run. After Chris Trisler walked, Sean Erskine capped the inning with a two-run single.

Oak Harbor tacked on one more run in the sixth. Mertins doubled, moved to third on a passed ball and scored on Snavely’s sacrifice fly.

Snavely finished 2-for-3 with three RBI, and Rankin was 2-for-4.