The team rolls to an 11-3 win over Beaverton at the District 4 event

PORTLAND — It was a good time.

No, make that a great time — for the Tigard Little League Majors (ages 11-12) all-star baseball season.

And all of those smiles and jubilation sure looked to be well earned, as the Tigard squad opened single-elimination bracket play at the District 4 Tournament with an impressive victory.

Tigard, seemingly putting everything together, opened bracket play by rolling to an 11-3 win over Beaverton Area Little League in a tourney quarterfinal game played July 11 at Alpenrose Stadium.

“Tonight, we were clicking on all cylinders,” Tigard’s Jake Leavitt said after the win. “And that was a lot of fun.”

“It felt good,” said Tigard’s Manuel Andrade, who had three extra-base hits in the win.

With the win, Tigard advanced to the semifinal round of the district tournament.

In the quarterfinal contest, Tigard got off to a strong start and then ended the game with a spectacular play.

Tigard never trailed in the contest, after scoring a pair of runs in the top of the first inning.

Nicholas Heinke got things started for Tigard with a one-out single to left field. One out later, Andrade tripled down the right-field line, driving in Heinke for the first run of the game.

Sam Pittmon followed with a single to center field, plating Andrade to give Tigard its early 2-0 lead.

Beaverton scored a run in the bottom of the first inning to trim the margin to 2-1, but Tigard answered back with two runs in the top of the second inning.

Seth Holman started things off for Tigard in the second with a one-out single to center. Holman moved to second base on a wild pitch and then scored on Micah O’Donnell’s two-out double to the fence in left field. O’Donnell moved to third base on a wild pitch and then he scored on another wild pitch to up the Tigard lead to 4-1.

Tigard tacked on another run in the top of the third inning. Andrade tripled to lead off the frame and score on Leavitt’s one-out single to right, making the score 5-1.

Beaverton cut into the lead, getting a run in the bottom of the fourth inning to make the score 5-2.

But Tigard again answered back — in a very big way.

Tigard, putting together five hits in a row, scored six runs in the top of the fifth inning to push the lead to 11-2.

Brandt Goetz struck out to start the inning, but he reached base on a wild pitch on strike three. The Tigard hit parade started after that.

Andrade got things going with a double to center field. Pittmon followed with his own double, driving in pinch runner Tristan Kelleher and Andrade to make the score 7-2. Leavitt and Joseph Cavalli followed with back-to-back singles to left field. Pittmon scored on Cavalli’s hit to up the lead to 8-2.

Leavitt then came around to score on a single by Holman to push the margin to 9-2. Cavalli and Holman both scored later in the inning when Beaverton committed an error on a grounder by Heinke, capping off the big inning and making the score 11-2.

Beaverton got a run in its half of the inning to make the score 11-3.

Then, in the bottom of the sixth, Beaverton had pinch runner Kevin Eckrosh on first base with one out. Leavitt, pitching in relief for Tigard, struck out Dean Clark. Cavalli, catching for Tigard, zipped a throw down to first baseman Brannon MacFarlane, who tagged out Eckrosh on a pickoff to complete a game-ending double play.

“We’ve worked on that play in practice, but it never worked — except this time,” Cavalli said with a smile. “That felt really good.”

Heinke picked up the pitching win for Tigard. Throwing the first four and a third innings, Heinke gave up three runs (two earned) on five hits while striking out one and walking none. Of the 50 pitches he threw in the game, 38 went for strikes.

“I felt like a got in a great rhythm from the start,” Heinke said.

Meanwhile, Tigard pounded out 13 hits as a team in the victory.

Andrade went 3 for 4 at the plate with a double, two triples, three runs scored and an RBI. Leavitt, Pittmon and Holman had two hits apiece. Heinke, O’Donnell, Cavalli and Goetz each had a hit.

“We’ve never hit the ball that good,” Pittmon said.

“We were all really positive,” Heinke said.

“We had a fire in our bellies,” Leavitt added.

Tigard saw its tournament play end with a 6-1 loss to Lake Oswego in last Thursday’s semifinal round.

Justin Grant also plays for the Tigard squad. Jorge Andrade is the team’s manager with coaches Anthony Cavalli and Jason Goetz.