An extra-inning thriller turned into a nightmare for the North Whidbey 9/10 all-star team as South Whidbey scored 12 runs in the eighth inning to defeat NWLL 13-2 in the semifinals of the district tournament Thursday, July 5, in Langley.

North Whidbey now plays South Skagit in a loser-out game at 6 p.m. Friday at South Whidbey Community Park. If North Whidbey wins, it meets South Whidbey for the championship and will have to defeat South Whidbey twice to earn the title. Those games are at 1 p.m. Saturday and Sunday in Langley.

In Thursday’s loss, pitchers Brandon Barnes and Nick Krantz kept North Whidbey in the game over the first seven innings. Starter Barnes gave up one unearned run, three hits and a walk while striking out eight. Krantz yielded no runs on three hits and three walks; he struck out one.

South Whidbey led off the game with a walk, and the runner moved up on two passed balls and scored on an error.

That run held up until North Whidbey scored in the fifth. George Daily reached on an error and eventually raced home with the tying run when the South Whidbey first baseman held on to the ball too long after another error.

South Whidbey broke through against North Whidbey relievers in the eighth to pull out the win.

North Whidbey scored in the bottom of the eighth when David Sisson doubled home Lance McOduski.

Sisson finished with two hits, and Barnes and Austin Boesch added singles.