ISSAQUAH, Wash. — You may not have heard of the Issaquah Little League Majors All-Star softball team, but you’ll soon get a chance to watch the young ladies playing on the world's biggest stage: The Little League Softball World Series.
The team is made of 10, 11 and 12-year-old girls who said last year's heartbreaking loss in the District Championships fueled them to be the dominant force they’ve become in 2022.
Scott Soden’s daughter Piper plays on All-Stars and said the ladies have been very convincing this season. They won Districts in North Bend, and then won State in Des Moines and moved on to California, where they have been competing in Northwest Regionals.
The Issaquah Little League Majors All-Star softball team has been a steamroller and won their first three games with a combined score of 33-3.
“They actually called a few of them early for the mercy rule,” said Soden. "To punch a ticket to their World Series, the ladies would only need to defeat a Billings, Montana, team they previously beat in game one 13-3. It was a historic day for Issaquah."
Issaquah defeated Montana 13-4 and are now officially headed to the biggest stage in their sport.
Now a group of 10,11 and 12-year-old girls will live their dreams and head to Greenville, North Carolina, next month to compete in the 2022 Little League Softball World Series.
After two years of not being able to hold traditional events due to the coronavirus pandemic, international competition is back, and teams from Canada, the Philippines and Puerto Rico are just a few of the teams competing from overseas.
Issaquah is set for their first game with West Texas on August 9. This August also marks the 75th Anniversary of the Little League Baseball World Series.
Editor’s note: A previous version of this story said Issaquah would be the first team from Washington state to make it to the Little League Softball World Series. Kirkland played in the event in 2018.