The Whidbey 11/12 Little League softball all-stars mounted a late comeback but ran out of time in a 13-5 loss to host Anacortes in the District 11 championship game Tuesday, June 23.

Anacortes scored 12 runs over the first three innings to take control early. Whidbey started to chip away, scoring a run in the bottom of the third inning and two runs in each of the fourth and fifth innings but couldn’t overcome the early deficit.

Anacortes used 11 hits and four Whidbey errors to take the early lead. It collected only two hits over the final three innings as Whidbey pitcher Scout Smith struck out five.

Whidbey went hitless over the first two innings, then Loralai Snyder led off the third with a single. A stolen base and wild pitch moved Snyder to third; from there, she scored on Marenna Rebischke-Smith’s ground out.

In the fourth, Brooke Gilham and Madelynn Tucker sandwiched walks around a single by Patti Miessner. Thora Iverson walked to force in one run, and Smith singled in another.

Whidbey finished its scoring in the fifth. Gilham singled and Miessner reached on an error; both eventually scored on wild pitches.

Miessner and Tucker, who walked three times, each finished the game with three stolen bases.

Whidbey, which included players from the North, Central and South Whidbey Little Leagues, went 2-2 in the tournament, beating South Skagit twice (18-3, 10-6) and losing to Anacortes twice (9-5, 13-5).

Whidbey was the only team undefeated Anacortes didn’t 10-run this season, according to coach Adam Caveness.