The Friday Harbor (13/14) Babe Ruth baseball team not only had to defeat Oak Harbor/Coupeville in its district playoff game Thursday, June 30, in Burlington to earn a trip to the state tournament, but it had to beat the Whidbey team handily. Mission accomplished.

Friday Harbor whipped Oak Harbor/Coupeville 13-3 to qualify for state.

Sedro-Woolley defeated Friday Harbor 12-6 Monday in the first game of the three-team, round-robin tournament. Oak Harbor/Coupeville stopped Sedro-Woolley 6-5 Wednesday.

After Friday Harbor beat Oak Harbor/Coupeville, all three teams finished the tournament with a 1-1 record, putting the tie breaker — fewest runs allowed — into play to determine which two teams went on to state. Sedro-Woolley took the top seed with 12 runs allowed, followed by Friday Harbor with 15 and the Whidbey team with 18.

Going into Thursday’s game, Oak Harbor/Coupeville knew it could advance to state even with a loss, but the loss had to be by six runs or less.

Friday Harbor, leading 4-2, blew open the game with an eight-run fifth inning behind six hits, two walks, a hit batter and three Whidbey errors.

Oak Harbor/Coupeville scored the game’s first in the bottom of the first inning. With one out Jacob Pablicki walked, stole second and scored on Jacob Hall’s single.

Whidbey starting pitcher Gavin Knoblich avoided trouble in the first two innings with the help of two double plays. In the third, however, a two-out walk and double allowed Friday Harbor to tie the game at 1-1.

An inning later, Friday Harbor added three runs on only one hit to go up 4-1.

Oak Harbor/Coupeville countered with one run in the bottom half of the fourth on singles by Jared McDonald, Knoblich and Daniel Olson.

After Friday Harbor scored eight in the fifth to lift the score to 12-2, Whidbey tallied one in its half of the inning when Pablicki walked and eventually scored on Ulrik Wells’ ground out.

Friday Harbor scored its final run in the top of the sixth; Oak Harbor/Coupeville failed to score in the bottom half (even though it loaded the bases); and the game was halted because of the 10-run mercy rule.

Knoblich topped the Whidbey offense with a double and single, and Olson recorded two singles and an RBI.

Hall, McDonald, Josh Royek and Keegan Dunham each singled. Pablicki walked three times and scored twice.

Oak Harbor/Coupeville left 10 runners stranded.

Friday Harbor finished with nine hits (six coming in the fifth inning), six walks and 10 stolen bases.

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Ulrik Wells throws a pitch in relief during the Friday Harbor game. Photo by Jim Waller.