The Thurston County Saints 16U team will play in the Xtreme Diamond Sports World Series, Wednesday through Sunday, in San Diego.
The Saints, coached by former Capital High coach Michael “Whitey” Spencer, earned a berth by winning the Super Series West Regional tournament July 8, defeating the West Hills Vipers, 8-0, in the title game.
The majority of the Saints have played together for three seasons. In the four Super Series games, the Saints outscored their opponents 31-3.
Black Hills Youth Baseball: Black Hills Cal Ripken qualified three of its teams – 9U, 11U and 12U – to their respective regional tournaments. The 9- and 11-year-old teams play their regional in Meridian, Idaho, Wednesday through Saturday, and the 12-year-olds will play those same days in their regional in Eugene, Ore.
The 12U team won its third consecutive state title with an 8-4 victory over Western in the Southern Washington state tournament July 14, and has won three regional tournaments in the past four years. The winner of the 10-team tournament advances to the Cal Ripken World Series in Aberdeen, Md., Aug. 9-16.
There is no World Series for 9- and 11-year-olds.
Nisqually Basin Cal Ripken: The Nisqually Basin Cal Ripken 12U team, based in Yelm, won three consecutive single-elimination games at its state tournament, including a 12-1 win over Puyallup in the championship game July 14.
The victory gave the team a berth in the regional tournament in Meridian, Idaho, which will be played from Wednesday through Saturday. The winner of the 10-team tournament advances to the Cal Ripken World Series near Boston, Aug. 11-19.
South Sound Pony: South Sound Pony Baseball’s Lacey Rainiers 19U team won the Northwest Regional title Sunday in Kirkland to earn a spot at the West Regional Tournament and PONY World Series in Compton, Calif., beginning Friday.
