Bashers claim Little League crown in come-from-behind victory

With the win, the Bashers put the finishing touch on back-to-back victories in the 5-team tournament and avenged a loss in the championship game a year ago. But they needed a late-breaking display of fireworks at the plate and a resilient performance in the field to do it.

Grand slams don’t come around all that often, not in Little League.

But the Friday Harbor Blue Bashers got one when they needed it most.

Ty Vague launched a rocket that cleared the outfield fence to drive in four runs and ignite the offense, leading the Bashers to a come-from-behind 11-10 victory in the championship game of the Inter-Island Majors Little League tournament, May 30 in Friday Harbor.

With the win, the Bashers put the finishing touch on back-to-back victories in the 5-team tournament and avenged a loss in the championship game a year ago. But they needed a late-breaking display of fireworks at the plate and a resilient performance in the field to do it.

Trailing 7-1 in the fourth inning to the Friday Harbor “Silver” team, Vague’s 4-run homer catapulted the Bashers back into the game and the two island rivals waged a see-saw battle on the scoreboard down the stretch. Ethan Germain returned to the mound for the sixth and final inning and, with two outs and two on, closed the door on the last-ditch scoring threat by getting the Silver’s final batter to ground out to sealing the one-run win and earn the save.

“It was the most exciting game I’ve ever been a part of in all my life,” Bashers Head Coach Brian Germain said.

The single-elimination tournament, the culmination of a three-month season for ballplayers of 11-13 years of age, pitted three Friday Harbor teams against one another and one team each from Lopez and Orcas. The Bashers closed out a 13-3 season with a win in the local Majors Little League championship game.

— Scott Rasmussen