Wounded Warriors Fight to the End; Mariners Beat Yankees in Camas Little League Majors Championship Tournament

Camas Little League held its final day of regular season events culminating in the Majors Championship Finals at 5 pm Saturday between the Yankees and Mariners.

The Mariners (11-4) faced No. 1 seed Yankees (12-3) for the annual event, with the victor earning bragging rights as best in the league. The Mariners quickly put one run on the board as lead batter Christian Geigenmiller earned a base hit and was advanced by his teammates.

The 2013 Camas Little League Majors Champions — the Mariners.

Mariners pitcher Christian Geigenmiller slides into home, giving the Mariners their first run of the championship game.

The Yankees, who started with Drew Ott, quickly responded at the bottom of the first and earned three runs early in the game. The rest of the game was a battle royale pitting two solid offensive and defensive teams. Both teams played a good, clean game.

The Mariners started with Christian Geigenmiller, who pitched few innings, as several fans questioned a number of behind-the-plate calls. The intensity of the game was palatable.

Christian Geigenmiller was injured as he tried to cover home as Jefferson Jackson successfully scored. The two collided as Geigenmiller tried to get the out. He limped along in the heat for the remainder of the game.

The Yankees relieved Ott after a couple of innings and closed with Shane Jamison, who threw a mean fastball. Jamison pegged Mariners hitter Jake Blair in the helmet, and also seriously hit Eli Ferres in the shin. Ferres was down for a couple of minutes until he limped to first base. Then Jordan Geigenmiller was hit in the lower back by a wild pitch.

“It still hurts pretty bad,” said Jordan, a few hours after the game.

The Yankees held onto their three-run lead until Mariners hitter Zach Terry broke the game loose in the fourth inning with two runners on base. He cranked it out to deep center-right where it bounced and went over the fence. The two runners scored and tied the game 3-3. Because the ball hopped over the fence, Terry was limited to two bases.

“I think he was just happy he didn’t get hit by the ball,” joked Kevin Terry, Zach’s dad. “The look on his face as he rounded second was priceless. I don’t think he knew what happened.”

Zach Terry’s double brought in two runs to the game 3-3. Here he is rounding second base after his hit, which changed the game.

Then Jordan Geigenmiller’s brilliant bunt advanced a runner, putting the Mariners ahead 4-3, where the score would remain.

Josh Mansur did an excellent job closing for the Mariners, and limited Jamison, the league’s home run king to base hits.

“It feels really good,” said Jeff Mansur, Mariners Manager. “The boys earned this — and they’ve worked hard all season.”

Mariners hitter Eli Ferres was hit in the shin.

The Yankees pose for a picture after receiving their second place medals.