Stanwood-Camano scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to defeat the Oak Harbor Babe Ruth baseball team 5-4 in an elimination game in the district tournament Thursday, June 27, in Burlington.

Oak Harbor took a 4-3 lead with a run in the top of the seventh and then almost escaped a tough jam in the bottom of the inning before Stanwood-Camano drove home the winning run with two outs.

Each team scored a run in the first inning. With two outs, Oak Harbor, the visiting team, scored when Austin Hauter walked, Dylan Bailey singled and Paul Spence doubled.

Oak Harbor went on top 3-1 with a two-run third. Hauter lead off with a single and eventually scored on a balk. Paul Southerland singled in Spence who reached on a fielder’s choice.

Stanwood-Camano scored single runs in the fourth and fifth to tie 3-3 going into the seventh.

In the top half, Spence hit a double off the wall and advanced to third on a ground out. He scored on Robert Herring’s slow roller to second.

Stanwood-Camano loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the half on a walk, hit batter and bunt single. A single scored the tying run. Spence then struck out the next two hitters, but the next batter singled off Hauter’s glove at shortstop, drove in the game winner and ended Oak Harbor’s season.

Oak Harbor coach Bill Young said, overall, his team played well. After two first-inning errors Oak Harbor settled down and played mistake free ball. Trent Benson pitched well over the first six innings, and Spence finished with two doubles. Benson and Dylan Bailey each collected two hits, and Hauter singled and scored two runs.

Oak Harbor did have a few base-running mistakes as well as stranding 10 runners. All five Stanwood players who scored got aboard on a walk or by being hit by a pitch.

Young said, “A tough pill to swallow to be eliminated after a well played game; however, only the winner of the national world series will be a team that walks away as winning their last game of the season.”