Naselle players Jarrod Laney (3), Kolten Lindstrom (14) and Clay Bergeson (12) leave the field after defeating Mossyrock for the district championship.

SOUTH BEND — The Naselle baseball only needed six innings to dispatch rival Mossyrock in a 10-0 mercy-rule shutout for the 1B District IV championship last week in South Bend.

Naselle (11-2) next advances to the regional round of the state tournament, where they’ll face the winner of No. 11 seed Orcas (8-6) and No. 6 seed Wilbur-Creston (17-5) on May 21 at 1 p.m. at Larson Playfield in Moses Lake.

Comets start fast, finish Vikings earlyAfter two narrow regular-season victories over Mossyrock, the third came much easier for the Comets in the district championship game against the Vikings.

Naselle jumped to a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning, a lead that held until the third inning, when an RBI single by Joe Strange and a Clay Bergeson passed-ball run extended the Comet lead to 5-0. Joe finished with a game-high four RBIs, while going 2-for-2 at the plate.

Meanwhile, Naselle junior ace Kolten Lindstrom was overpowering on the mound and kept Mossyrock batters off balance all game, primarily with a sizzling fastball. Kolten finished with 12 strikeouts while allowing only two hits.

In the bottom of the sixth inning, Comet senior Craig Ritz ignited a five-run scoring barrage, culminating in a 10-0 Naselle victory for the district championship.

Up next: Naselle next advances to the regional round of 1B state tournament, where they’ll face the winner of No. 11 seed Orcas and No. 6 seed Wilbur-Creston on May 21 at 1 p.m. at Larson Playfield in Moses Lake.