By Gerardo Bolong

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Lights out relief pitching by Jordan Marx preserved a South Highline National All-Star team lead in a District VII 8-10 age Little League baseball tournament opener en route to a National 6-4 win in six innings on Sat., June 23, at the Pac West fields.

"We have a young team of players," said SHN manager Kris Kelly. "It was a good experience. West Seattle is a good team and we hung with them."

Trailing 4-3 in the bottom of the third inning, the Nationals rode into the lead for good.

Consecutive infield singles by Luis Sanchez and Nolan Enghusen set up Jack Fenton to deliver a 4-4 deadlock on an infield ground ball out. Jayce Fitgerald followed with an infield single sending Rylon Keene to the plate. Keene grounded the ball for what looked to be an infield out, but the first baseman was ruled to not have his foot on first base as the Nationals took a 5-4 lead.

Jordan Marx scored an additional South Highline Little League run in the fourth inning, but it was his pitching that kept the Nationals ahead.

After the Nationals grabbed the lead, Marx shifted from centerfield to the pitcher's mound in the fourth inning and faced only 10 batters while recording three shut out innings to close out the game. Marx ended the game with a flourish, using only four ptches in striking out the final batter.

"I tried to throw strikes," explained right hander Marx. "I was confident that my teammates would get the ball and throw to first to get the outs."