ELLENSBURG – Youth was king of the CWAC on Tuesday night.

Fourth-seeded Selah, which started more freshmen (three) than seniors (two), sent 12 batters to the plate and erupted for eight runs in the sixth inning and held off No. 2 Ellensburg in its final at-bat to win the CWAC district championship, 11-6, at Rotary Park.

“We’ve had young teams, but never as many that have to contribute and play a big part,” Vikings coach Mike Archer said. “They’ve handled things real well; they’re pretty cool customers.”

Coolest of them all was Selah starter Easton Jones, just a freshman. The right-hander kept the Bulldogs off the scoreboard for the first four innings, before surrendering a pair of runs in the fifth.

Although he tired in the top of the seventh, when Ellensburg scored four runs and had the bases loaded before a soft liner to first baseman Drew Brewer ended the game, Jones still earned the win, and Archer’s praise.

“He’s just such a great competitor, and people will get into the fifth and say, ‘why aren’t we hitting this guy?’” the Hall of Fame coach said. “Well, he knows how to pitch, and he can throw three strikes for pitches.”

Ellensburg starter Jake Snow was as effective, shutting out the Viks for the first five innings, and being handed a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the fifth on an RBI single by Carter Peone and a Selah error that scored another run.

In the sixth, however, the Viks got going. With one out, and Braxton Young on first having reached on an error, Selah hit four straight singles,

The final of those by Brewer, scored one, with two more coming across on an error, gave the Vikings a 4-2 lead. Jack Kennedy then doubled home Brewer.

A walk, an error and an out later, catcher Lucas Williams capped the rally with a two-run single making it 8-2.

“I was trying to barrel up, and get something in the error, and it just fell in,” said Brewer, the sophomore brother of softball slugger Avery Brewer. “And it kept falling in for everyone, and that was really big.”

Selah added three runs in the seventh, keyed by a two-run single by freshman Hudson Sager, whose would-be fly out was erased because of a balk.

The Bulldogs, though, weren’t going away. After going scoreless against Jones in the sixth, they were able to get to him in the seventh,

Cash Gibson led off with a double, Peone then singled, and Olin Bala’s pinch-hit single pushed Gibson across.

Easton Armstrong followed with the big jolt of the rally – a three-run blast over the left-field wall.

Ellensburg loaded them up, before Ryker Muir induced the final out.

The Bulldogs matched Selah’s 11 hits, but their six errors and five walks were too damaging.

“That might be the worst inning we’ve had all year,” Ellensburg coach Todd Gibson said of the sixth inning. “To their credit they hit the ball, but it was compounded by our mistakes. It’s uncharacteristic of how we’ve been playing.

Both teams already had earned berths to the Class 2A state tournament, and will find out Sunday where they are head for the May 23 regional. The final four is May 29-30 at Joe Martin Stadium in Bellingham.

Cash Gibson finished with three hits, and Tucci and Peone each had two for the Bulldogs (15-9).

Brewer and Teague Simpson each had a pair of hits for Selah (16-8).

OTHELLO 4, EAST VALLEY 1: At Othello, the top-seeded Huskies (20-4) stayed alive with a 4-1 victory against East Valley. Junior right-hander Xzyyvn Martinez tossed a two-hitter and helped his cause with two hits and two RBI.

Martinez had a two-run single in the bottom of the fourth inning to break a 1-1 tie.

Jake Jansen had an RBI single in the second to score Liam Peterson, who had doubled for the Red Devils (15-8).

CBBN

Eastmont, Wenatchee stay alive

Senior Bodie Yale hit a two-run double in an eight-run bottom of the first inning and added a home run an inning later as Eastmont (12-9) rolled past Sunnyside, 17-1.

Izik Ontiveros added two hits, including a two-run double for the Wildcats, who will host Wenatchee on Friday in another loser-out contest.

Griffin Butler doubled, and Simeon Shanbour knocked in a pair of runs for the Panthers (13-9).

Othello will meet a Northwest Conference team Saturday for a state berth.

BASEBALL

Tuesday’s Games

CBBN

Loser Out

Eastmont 16, Sunnyside 1

Wenatchee 5, Eisenhower 1

CWAC

District Championship

Selah 11, Ellensburg 6

Winner to Crossover

Othello 4, East Valley 1