The Issaquah Indians 16U baseball team have earned themselves a chance to earn a World Series berth after beating the Seattle North Stars, 7-3, for the PONY Colt 16U state championship on July 10.

The North Stars, who beat the Indians twice earlier in the season, were considered tournament favorites. Issaquah starter Kevin Letourneau had something to say about that, however, not allowing an earned run over a complete game.

Seattle scored two unearned runs in the first inning without the benefit of a hit. The Indians made four of their six errors in the third inning, but a diving stop by Anders Lindberg limited the damage to one unearned run. Letourneau went on to only allow two more hits the rest of the game.

Offensively, Andrew Huynh tripled and drove in a run, Ryan Siefkes went 2-for-3 with two RBI, Troy Potensky and Kevin Letourneau singled and Kyle Thomas doubled all scoring crucial runs late in the game.

The Indians opened tournament with a 2-0 victory over the Maltby Stallions, defeated Maple Valley 16-5 and finished preliminary pool play with an 8-5 win over a scrappy Kirkland team. They moved on to the finals with a 12-2 victory.

The next step is the West Zone tournament July 29 – Aug. 3 in San Jose, Calif. The World Series follows, Aug. 6-11 in Lafayette, Ill.

The Indians, who are made of of kids from Issaquah and Skyline high schools, are coached by Mike Griffith, Glenn Meyer and Mike Young. The coaching staff also featured catcher Zach Garner, who was unable to play in the tournament due to an injury. Issaquah is affiliated with the Lake Sammamish Baseball Association.