UPDATE: The 9/10 All-Stars continued to be undefeated and are now in the WA state finals for their age group after defeating Eastlake of District 9, 8-3. The championship game is at noon Saturday. FWN will play the winner of Friday’s game between Eastlake and Salmon Creek of District 6 (the greater Vancouver area). FWN defeated Salmon Creek last Tuesday, 8-4. Click here for the latest updates on Facebook.

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The Federal Way National Little League All-Stars 9-10 had their third state tournament game on July 17.

They defeated Salmon Creek with a score of 8-4.

After a quick start in the first with a lead of 2-0, the Nationals’ defense consistently kept Salmon Creek at bay until the bottom of the fourth, when Salmon Creek added a single run to bring the game to 5-2.

However, in the fifth, the Nationals responded with three more single runs to gain a lead of 8-2.

Salmon Creek tacked on single runs in both the fifth and sixth innings, but ended the game with multiple runners on base.

Nationals players Nate Clow went 3-4 on the day and Cole Bakker was 2-4. The Nationals’ defense was bolstered by Adam Taylor’s performance on third base and Eli Bakam’s presence in the outfield. Coaches and parents were excited to be on the winning side.

The Nationals’ next game is 6 p.m. Thursday, July 19, at Auburn’s GSA Park. They battle Eastlake’s team from the ninth district.