Drew Fry doesn’t get nervous during the big moment in a game.
Well, maybe just a little bit, the pitcher and shortstop says.
That’s because Fry’s mind is elsewhere. It’s focused on the next pitch, the next strike. And after South Whidbey’s 11/12 Little League All-Stars defeated Sedro-Woolley 3-1 in the second of two championship games in the District 11 tournament Thursday night, it’s on to the next game. South Whidbey will face District 4’s champion at the 2015 Washington State Little League Baseball State Tournament at 11 a.m. July 25 in Bothell.
Fry was on the mound when South Whidbey secured the victory, which was especially fitting considering he was pitching when the team lost 3-2 to Sedro-Woolley on a walk-off home run in the first round.
South Whidbey’s win over Sedro-Woolley marked the team’s fifth consecutive victory in the tournament. South Whidbey defeated Anacortes, Central Whidbey, and North Whidbey — the top seed in the tournament — en route to the championship game.
“I can’t believe we came back from that, after losing the first game,” Fry said, referring to South Whidbey’s loss in the opening round. “We worked together as a team better since the first game.”
Fry retired 10 of his first 11 batters, while holding Sedro-Woolley to four hits. Fry threw eight strikeouts.
The majority of the team went to state two years ago in the 9/10 division. But, compared to the level of maturity and development skill-wise that has happened between then and now, this year’s state berth is on a whole other level.
“They’ve been working hard ever since then so I think all that comes together,” said head coach James Petty.
Despite not having the best performance at the plate, according to Petty, South Whidbey was still able to start things off fast. Dayton Birchfield’s single in the second inning scored Luke Rookstool, giving South Whidbey a 1-0 lead.
South Whidbey’s Ethan Petty drove in Thomas Simms on a single in the third for the team’s next score.
Sedro-Woolley’s most productive inning came in the fourth, when Seth Humerickhouse scored off Owen Murdock’s single.
South Whidbey’s Brent Batchelor sealed the game when he blasted a solo home run to right field, cushioning a two-run lead.
