LA GRANDE – With its season on the line, The Dalles 12U All Stars used a standout defensive play in a critical moment to stave off a late rally.

At the start of last week’s District 5 Little League Tournament, head coach Ken Brock and his assistants, Ben Donivan and Phil Hukari, ushered out a group of young, determined 12U athletes, who were vying for a championship.

With the District 5 Little League championship on the line, a year of bragging rights up for grabs and a state berth hanging in the balance, Bend North and The Dalles engaged in a six-inning classic Saturday at the Umatilla Sports Complex in Redmond. The Dalles 12U Little League All Stars battled back from a 14-10 deficit with five runs in the bottom of the sixth inning, capped by a two-out, walk-off RBI single by Cesar Sanchez that scored pinch-runner Andy Maney in a 15-14 thriller Saturday in a winner-take-all baseball matchup.

The Dalles 12U baseball team sent a resounding statement in its final Junior Baseball Organization tournament of the spring.