LYNNWOOD — The Marysville Nationals and North Snohomish all-stars duked it out in a pitchers duel, but ultimately the Nationals fell in the first round of the majors baseball district tournament.

Snohomish took advantage of opportunities in the fifth inning, scoring five runs that would ultimately lead to their 7-3 win at Lynndale Park in Lynnwood June 27.

The North Snohomish team scored first, their leadoff batter doubling and scoring on a fielder’s choice for the second out.

The game remained 1-0 through the top of the fourth. Then, with one out, clean-up batter Kanim Posey walked. It set up a two-run homer by Tyson Carlos to center field, giving the Marysville South team a 2-1 lead.

“He likes to look for that one perfect pitch,” said Marysville Nationals manager Carlos Gonzalez. “He battled, but then he saw that one pitch and sent it over. It was beautiful.”

But in the top of the fifth, North Snohomish got two runners on, including a close call at second base as Marysville tried to stop the lead runner on a bunt.

Marysville pitcher Collin Holeman struck out the next two — of the 13 he’d retire in the game — but Snohomish scored a run on a double from the next batter. A missed catch at first base turned the third out into two more Snohomish runs. Then North Snohomish’s relieving pitcher hit a home run for a 6-2 lead.

Holeman struck out a third batter to end the inning.

Down 7-2 going into the bottom of the sixth and final inning, Marysville tried to put together a rally. Second baseman Brayden Hopstad singled off of a new pitcher, scoring on a double by Carlos. But already down two outs, Snohomish picked up the save and the win.

“I think we had good momentum going,” Gonzalez said. “We just didn’t have our bats.”

The Marysville Nationals played for their tournament lives, facing Stanwood Camano June 30 in the double-elimination tournament after The Globe went to press.

11-year-old Nationals win first-rounder

Turning the tide on a tough weekend for Marysville Little League all-stars, the 11-year-old Nationals won their first-round game, 9-7, in the all-star tournament at Mill Creek’s Freedom Field.

Trailing Granite Falls 2-0 after an inning of the early game June 28, Alex Rosten put Marysville on the board in the second inning with an RBI single. Down 3-1 going into the top of the third inning, Jared Wade singled and Trent Tingelstad walked, setting up Hunter Trueax’s three-run homer over the right field fence. Marysville took a 4-3 lead with the play and never ceded their lead.

Wade batted in Logan Sewell in the fourth inning and Granite Falls countered with a run of their own to keep it within a run. Marysville added two more runs in the fifth inning, including one on a RBI by Collin Montez. Trueax and Zack Barker both had RBIs in the sixth inning to put their lead out of reach of Granite Falls.

Trueax and Ben Chapman shared pitching duties, striking out a total of nine batters. Rosten was 3-for-3 at the plate, while Trueax and Barker were 2-for-3.

The boys played Pacific in a June 29 game after The Globe went to press.

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