The pressure was on in the bottom of the sixth. Undefeated up until the Cal Ripken District 6 championship, the Washington 10U All-Stars needed just one more win in the double-elimination-style tournament held in Snow Hill to cement themselves as the best under-10 team in a seven-county area. But down six runs with one out against a talented New Bern team, a Game 2 seemed imminent.

Well, to everyone but those in blue and white.

Soon, one single turned into two and two into three. Before the opposing coaching staff could blink twice, Washington was piling on runs at a rapid rate, shrinking the New Bern lead with every base knock.

“It was kids who went to the plate and said, ‘I know what I’m doing,’” said head coach Chip Edwards. “’I know how to do this. I’m not scared, I’m not nervous. He’s going to throw a baseball and I’m going to hit it.’ And that’s what happened. We scored and scored and scored and New Bern was stunned.”

In a lengthy bottom of the sixth, after trailing for the first time all tournament, Washington had fought all the way back, scoring seven runs to complete the 12-11 victory, erase the opposition’s chances at forcing a Game 2 and lock up the local 10U Cal Ripken area championship, the team’s second-straight title.

Washington finished the tournament with a perfect 5-0 record, defeating Pamlico County (22-1), West Carteret (17-2), Swansboro (10-1), Southern Pitt (8-3) and, eventually, New Bern. It was another dominant performance by a group of 10 kids who have been playing together for nearly half of their young lives.

“They are a team. They are as much friends and buddies as they are a collective group of baseball players all on the same squad,” Edwards said. “They know each other’s roles really well. They know who plays where, how they play it and what to expect from each other, both in the batting order and in the field. And they’re comfortable with that. I’ve done a lot of baseball in my life and that is rare from 10-year-old kids.”

As the players have grown, so has their game. The bats are polished, fielding nearly flawless and leadership unmatched in an age group where those traits can often go by the wayside.

Now, Washington will have the opportunity to bring home the Little Tarheel League’s most coveted title in front of their home fans, as the Susiegray McConnell Complex will host the 2015 Little Tarheel State Championship. It’s a four-day event that will bring hundreds of players, parents and onlookers to Washington, an event Edwards says his team is more than prepared for.

“We’ve got a shot,” he said. “I am awfully optimistic about our kids because we can pitch well, we have a very good defense and we’ve been hitting the ball as good as we’ve ever hit it. If you have those three keys, then you’re playing real baseball and you’ve got a shot to beat anyone. I think we have a chance to go far.

“Win a championship? I don’t know yet. I don’t know the quality of the teams we’re facing. But I’m confident that these 10-year-old boys can get on a field and play with anyone in their age group.”

The tournament will run from July 30-Aug. 2 and feature more than 40 8U, 10U and 12U all-star teams from all over North Carolina. Like the Cal Ripken tournament, the bracket will be double elimination, but it will feature the district winners and other top teams in the state and the seeding will be determined at random.

Being the host, the Washington 10U All-Stars earned an automatic bid to the state tournament, bypassing the Little Tarheel District 7 Tournament. But unlike other all-star teams who have hosted the state tournament before, Washington will hardly be a push over come Round 1.