West Seattle went digging for a win last Wednesday at Art Mikelson Field, but only unearthed a series of goose eggs in a four-inning, 12-0, mercy-rule shortened loss to District 12 Pasco National to drop into the loser-out bracket of the 2009 Washington state Little League 11-12-year-old baseball tournament.

"They pretty much won it in the first inning," said West Seattle All-Star manager John Mackenzie. "He pitched a gem."

Pasco pitcher Austen Clarke was on fire and it had nothing to do with the 103-degree heat.

Dominating batters from the start, Clarke pitched a no-hitter and was two walks away from a perfect game as he struck out 10 batters out of a possible 12 outs.

Izac Bauer walked with one out in the second inning and advanced to second base on a wild pitch while Griffin Bills drew a walk with two outs in the fourth inning as the only West Side base runners.

"I used a fast ball, a curve ball from twelve o'clock to six o'clock, a slider and a change up to keep them off balance," said the Tri-Cities athlete. "My mom was at the game and I was really excited to pitch in front of her."

Six first inning runs by Pasco sealed the deal early with West Seattle bats going silent the entire game.

Pasco National manager Roger Ingram added to the observations.

"We knew they were a good team," he declared. "The key was getting runs early. Clarke has pitched in three championship games and even had a six-inning no-hitter."