The 10-11 BB All-Star team is off to a great start in the 2009 District 9 tournament, winning its first 2 games by a cumulative score of 31-12.  On Saturday, July 4th, Mercer Island opened up play vs. Bellevue West and delivered a convincing 12-2 victory in 5 innings behind the strong pitching of Andrew Pickles.  Andrew was supported by several excellent defensive plays in the field by Brenden Yan, Peter Lopes, Eric Kim, and Jackson Caputo.  Every player reached base, and the team hit .400 while drawing 10 walks.

On Sunday, Mercer Island faced the All Stars from Redmond North.  The team from Redmond was fired up to play the defending state champions, but they couldn’t slow down the MI offense and lost by a 19-10 margin.  Nathan Gallatin and Michael Petrie combined on the mound to contain the strong Redmond North offense.  The pitching benefited greatly from 4 double plays in 6 innings, including a web gem from Cameron Coe in center field.  Brenden Yan continued his hot hitting with 5 RBIs, while Eric Kim and Michael Petrie drove in 3 apiece.  Lucas Chapman, Jackson Caputo, and Sam Nordale delivered clutch hits as well.  For the game, the team .457 with 16 hits and drew another 8 walks.

Mercer Island will face Snoqualmie Valley on Wednesday night at 6 pm on Dodd Field in Issaquah.  The winner of this game will advance to the finals of the winner’s bracket on Saturday, July 11th at 10 am.  All Mercer Island fans are invited to come support the team on its journey through the District 9 All Star tournament!