OTHELLO — The North Kitsap 15-year-old Babe Ruth State Champion Babe Ruth squad is taking this postseason one step at a time. And team manager Rick Ritter knows that as long as the team keeps its ultimate goal in focus, nothing will stand in its way.

At the 15-year-old state tournament in Othello this past weekend, no team could hold back North Kitsap as the 15’s went undefeated on the weekend to take the state championship and confidence into the Northwest Regional tournament, which will be played out beginning July 31 in Kelso.

“We have the complete package, just as long as we stay focused,” Ritter said of his squad after state. “This weekend they were completely focused … you can’t stop them it seems like, they just don’t quit.”

It was the killer instinct at the state tournament that set the NK 15’s apart from the rest of the pack. Once NK got a leg up on any team it was facing, it would not let its guard down.

In the first game of the tournament July 13, North overcame Moses Lake by a count of 11-7. Cameron Mills — a critical piece of North’s offense throughout the weekend — led NK at the plate, hitting 3-4 with an RBI. While a trio of NK pitchers kept Moses Lake under control. In the team’s second game July 14, the NK 15’s forced Spokane to lose all control as they forfeited the game in the third inning.

North’s bats seemed the size of cavemen clubs as they stepped up to the plate and started swinging away. Andy Smith and Tyler Sullivan batted 4-4 in the short contest while Kyle Murray and Justin Tapp each blasted 3-3. Those four players also combined for eight RBIs, discouraging Spokane.

“There was nobody even close to having the team speed we had, we kind of stole bases at will,” Ritter said of the other side of NK’s offense in the tournament.

Whenever an NK runner reached first base, it was open season on the trip to second, Ritter said. And with more and more North runners stealing bases, opposing pitchers’ heads began to hang.

July 15, the NK 15’s took advantage of East Wenatchee’s pitching staff with a 14-2 final score that included a solo home run by NK’s Paul Bagala.

For NK on the mound, a trio of pitchers shared the workload throughout the tournament. Tyler Sullivan, Mario McLaughlin and Justin Roulanaitis combined forces to hold opposing teams to just 15 runs over the course of five games, while the NK offense rattled in 62 with a team batting average of .503.

“That was the best tournament we have ever seen the boys play,” said team mom JoAnn Ritter, agreeing with team mom Cari Frederickson. “They were completely uniform, all the time they played it was just like clockwork.”

North’s closest game of the weekend came in the semi-final round when it was matched up with Ephrata.

NK faced a 4-3 deficit into the seventh inning, however, it was not to be denied a trip to the championship, coach Ritter said.

Bagala started the NK rally with a single, which was followed by an Smith single, followed by a Mills’ RBI single.

The single-fest continued as NK short-balled it’s way, with a 5-4 win, into the championship where they would face no resistance from East Wenatchee.

North blanked East Wenatchee by a final tally of 12-0 for the state title as Sullivan pitched a scoreless five innings.

Individually, Sullivan was awarded the defensive player of the tournament award for his presence on the mound while NK’s Smith was named tournament MVP.

In other NK Action

North’s 16-year-old team, playing in Enumclaw, fought its way through the consolation bracket after being bounced by Kent in the first game of the tournament July 12.

NK’s 16’s led by a count of 1-0 into the sixth inning but Kent rallied to pick up the win, 7-1.

North rallied back with a 5-4 win over Redmond and a 12-2 handling of Sammamish to face Kent once again in the championship. However, the select Kent Bulldogs, made up entirely of varsity starters from eight area high schools, came from behind to defeat NK by a final score of 8-5.

North’s 13-year-old All-Stars were bounced from competition after losing their first two pool play games to Othello by a count of 8-3 and then to Eastmont in a 4-3 nail-biter.