The Washington 10U All-Stars secured their second-straight comeback victory on Saturday in the semi-finals of the Little Tarheel State Tournament, held at the Susiegray McConnell Complex in Washington.

In a nearly two-hour game in stifling heat that featured 18 combined walks, Washington starter Zac Lilley outlasted Cleveland’s trio of pitchers and led his team to an 8-6 victory. With a rested pitching staff and a lineup that’s finding its tournament stride, Washington is headed to the 10U Little Tarheel State Championship, set for Sunday at 10 a.m. on Field 4.

“It feels great for the kids,” said head coach Chip Edwards. “They worked so hard, tryied so hard and know how to play in so many different types of ballgames. This was the first time we had been down in the first inning and we were down a lot. Some of the moods changed a little bit, but not much. It’s a six-inning ballgame. They knew they were going to score some runs. They’re resilient kids and they love playing.”

Entering the title game with a 3-0 record, the tournament host has a distinct advantage over the opposition, a team that will emerge out of the taxing losers’ bracket. The opponent must beat Washington twice tomorrow in order to pull off the upset.

“It’s very difficult for a team to come out of the losers’ bracket and win a championship,” Edwards said. “(My team) understands tomorrow can be two games and they’ve done that 100 times together.”

On Saturday, Lilley disregarded a rough couple of early innings, became more consistent with each pitch and pieced together a rotation-saving start. He tossed all six innings for Washington, walking six, allowing nine hits and striking out six. But Lilley’s biggest contribution may have been at the plate, where he finished with a game-high four RBIs.

“He gets better and throws harder as the game goes on,” Edwards said. “That’s how Zac is. He needs 30 or 40 pitches before he gets into a solid rhythm and you saw that today. When he does get in a rhythm, he’s hard to touch.”

Cleveland jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead in the top of the first, piecing together two walks, a hit batter and three singles. The visitors batted around and gave Washington its earliest deficit of the all-star season.

Like Lilley, Cleveland starter Zavion Ingram also had some early command issues, walking the first three betters of the game, a total of four in the first inning, but Washington would leave the bases loaded, scoring just one run.

And as the Cleveland staff tried to find its identity, Lilley only grew stronger. He escaped a jam in the second with back-to-back strikeouts before giving up two in the third on two walks and a hard-hit double to right from Justin Angel.

Similar to Friday’s sixth inning against Hickory, Washington strung together seven runs in the bottom of the second, powered by six walks, a bases-clearing double to the fence by Lilley and an RBI double from Reid Apple. At the end of three, Washington held an 8-5 lead.

Lilley dazzled through the fourth and fifth, as opposing pitcher Bennett Darden also held Washington’s lineup at bay.

In the top of the sixth, Cleveland opened up for three-straight hits off the bats of Joseph Kelly, Darden and Trevor Tuthill, but Lilley came back with a strikeout and two groundouts to end the game.

Washington will send ace Eli Huynh to the mound for Game 1 of tomorrow’s state championship. If necessary, reliable right-hander Evan Waters will get the call in Game 2.