The Mercer Island Little League 12U All Stars advanced to the state tournament, after beating Redmond West in the title game to become the District 9 champions.

The Islanders continue to take steps toward a repeat trip to the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Penn. later this summer.

During Monday night’s championship both teams started out strong, with the first two innings speeding past in less than 20 minutes. Mercer Island earned the lead in the bottom of the third off a home run from Michael Bantle.

Michael Petrie added his own home run to the stats for Mercer Island at the bottom of the fourth to give MI a 2-0 lead. David Emanuels also hit a home run for the team. The team quickly found its momentum through several singles and doubles to advance the score to 8 by the end of the fifth inning.

Redmond West only run came from James Joliffe’s single at the top of the fifth. The final score was 8-1 for the Islanders.

The team finished the tournament undefeated with a 5-0 record. During the tournament, seven players hit two or more home runs for a total of 17 over the course of the five games, but the more impressive statistic was the team ERA of 0.23. The pitching staff surrendered only one earned run over the five games.

Mercer Island will now travel to the state tournament in Elma, Wash. at the Smith-Murray Park. The first game will be played this Saturday against District 4’s Fort Vancouver at 8 p.m.