Camas 11/12 All-Star’s Win District Title

BRUSH Prairie, Wash. – For 75 minutes, hearts were pounding as Camas Little League fans sat in the heat of the Pacific Northwest summer watching their 11/12 All-Star team compete with and ultimately defeat Evergreen 2-0 in the District 4 Championship game Tuesday night.

Both teams entered tonight’s game undefeated, and players, coaches, and fans alike expected a close, low-scoring game. And that’s just what they got.

The Camas boys have been used to racking up runs during this weeklong tournament, but knew more adversity would come their way. Evergreen played well and had a strong defense, and likewise for Camas.

But, the Camas bats were a bit stronger Tuesday night – and that’s what made the difference. It was also Camas Little League’s second District title in as many days (the 9/10 All-Star’s won their championship Monday night).

The game was scoreless until the fourth inning when Carson Williams hit a single and started working his way home. He would score their first run, and would quickly be followed by pitcher Shane Jamison.

Ryan Behnke pitched the entire game (under 65 pitches) for Camas and only allowed a few hits. His solid pitching gave Evergreen fits throughout the entire game.

With two outs at the bottom of the sixth, Evergreen hit one deep into left field foul territory, and Joey Schnell made an amazing catch as he hit the fence and ended the game, sealing the Camas victory. It was the first time in years that an 11/12 team from Camas has won the District title.

“This feels so great!” said Jamison, who along with Behnke, Williams and Christian Geigenmiller, have been working on winning a District title since 2010, which was their first year of All-Star eligibility.

Most of the team has played together in post-season since 2011, and have placed second two years in a row.

“It was our time,” said Camden Ford, who experienced his third season as an All-Star.

Manager Doug Williams said “the boys played with heart and they really wanted to win this.”

Williams, Brendan Ford, and Jeff Mansur have been coaching this team since June 16, and now look forward to opening day at the Washington State Tournament, which begins this Saturday.