By Zach Thummel
Columbia Gorge News
HOOD RIVER — The Hood River Little League baseball major league all-stars won the Oregon District 2 tournament July 14 and are headed to the Oregon state tournament in Clackamas on July 25.
The 2026 team, led by head coach Russ Gray and assistants Nate Clarke and Jake Williams, is the ninth team in history to make it to the state tournament from Hood River, and the first since 2010.
“There have been fewer than 10 teams that have actually gone to state from Hood River Valley Little League,” Gray said. “We were close last year, took second place; we were right there. It’s just an overall experience in general. It’s a big tournament, and you have a chance to go play down in California and be on ESPN and do all that kind of cool stuff. I just want the experience for the kids.”
Hood River started its district tourney play July 11, taking on Southeast Portland Little League. Runs were at a minimum, and the game stayed tight the whole way. McCoy Williams took control on the mound for the first three innings and kept Southeast at bay with no runs scored and five strikeouts. Hood River finally scored in the fourth inning as Kai Agnor knocked in Ryder Crowley for the only run of the game.
Zane Nance came into pitch for Hood River in the fourth and fifth innings, giving up no runs. In the sixth inning, Easton Gray came in with one runner on and no outs; he finished the inning with a couple of ground ball outs and a strikeout for the save in the bottom of the sixth.
Sunday, July 12, Hood River took on Taborvilla Little League out of Portland. The bats woke up, and the pitching was once again phenomenal. Easton Gray threw three and 1/3 innings, striking out five and giving up two hits on the day. Nance and Byren Sullivan each had two hits, with Nance knocking in four RBI that game.
The boys put up six runs in the fourth inning to make the score 11-0. Agnor came on in the bottom of the fourth and shut down Taborvilla to lead Hood River to a mercy rule win in the fourth.
On July 14, the HR boys took on the Taborvilla kids again in the district championship after they fought their way through the losers’ bracket. McCoy Williams took to the mound again and was too overpowering for the kids from Portland. He threw 5 1\3 innings, striking out ten batters and allowed two hits.
Hood River struck first in the second inning with two runs crossing the plate and then three more in the third, including a home run by Sullivan.
Hood River collected eight hits over six innings while putting up eight runs on the way to an 8-2 Hood River win to punch their ticket to the Oregon State Little League tournament.
“I’ve coached a lot of these kids since they were five years old in T-ball, and just to watch how far they’ve come and watch how they mold and work together as a team is really exciting,” said Gray. “It’s fun to watch.”
The state tournament is at Riverside County Park in Clackamas starting July 25; Hood River will take on Del Norte from District 8 at 5 p.m. July 25.
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