Marysville youth team places second in

baseball tourney

As far as Little League goes, Mill Creek may be basking in the glow of their World Series bid.

But they better watch their backs — one young Marysville team is taking steps to increase the odds that they’ll be the team everyone’s talking about in a year or two.

Little League coach Jamie Elvrom got together players from this year’s 9- and 10-year-old Marysville American all-star team for a Lynden tournament. The goal — to build team chemistry.

The boys trailed early in the July 26-27 tournament, giving up three runs early in their first game against Chehalis. Starting pitcher Austin Richbourg “got into a groove,” according to Elvrom, and the boys took care of the rest on offense, gradually putting together hits for some seven runs.

Helping to seal the deal, relief pitcher Tanner Bradford came on the mound for the Marysville Knights in the fourth inning and closed out, striking out nine straight batters to prevent a Chehalis comeback.

The Knights lost 9-3 to Lynden in game two, but qualified for a wild-card game in the tournament’s second day.

Facing West Seattle the next day, the game started close, Elvrom said. But then in the third inning with bases loaded, Ryan Elvrom got the third out on a line drive catch to stop a West Seattle rally.

“After that the team didn’t look back,” Elvrom said. The Knights went on to win 14-3 for a rematch at Lynden.

Their chance at the championship toppled early when the boys gave up 11 runs. Although they came back, it wasn’t enough to win it all, and the Marysville Knights placed second.