HICKORY — The Washington 8U machine pitch All-Star team finds itself a victory away from the final of the Tar Heel League State Tournament after blowout wins in the squad’s first two games of the competition, played on Thursday and yesterday.

The Washington All-Stars opened the tournament Thursday with a convincing victory over Burke County, defeating the squad from western North Carolina, 15-4. It was a well-balanced performance by Washington, with almost every single player recording at least one hit. Brandon Granadero, Braeden Hall and Miller Tyson were three of Washington’s offensive standouts of the day. Both Granadero and Hall finished 3-for-3 at the plate with a triple each, while Tyson was 2-for-2 with a solo-home run.

Washington opened the game by scoring three runs in the first and two more in the second to build a five-run lead. That put Burke County in an early hole, one it would never get out of, despite scoring two runs of its own in the second.

After building an early lead, the Washington All-Stars really kicked their offense into gear, scoring five runs in both the third and fourth innings. Granadero’s triple was the highlight of the barrage of runs in the third, while Hall’s triple topped off the scoring in the fourth. Burke County answered back with two more runs, but it wasn’t enough to avoid the loss.

Washington played its second game of the double-elimination tournament yesterday, vanquishing Parkwood, 10-3. The seven-run victory set Washington up to face a familiar foe. Washington plays Dare County, which beat Washington in the district tournament final earlier this month, with the winner moving on to the state tournament final and the loser moving to the other side of the bracket to play an elimination game.