Snohomish All-Stars headed for Little League World Series
Published 12:55 pm Thursday, July 23, 2026
A big first inning and a strong finish propelled the Snohomish softball All-Stars to a Little League World Series berth on Thursday.
The team, made up of players league-age 12-and-under from Snohomish Little League, beat Idaho 11-3 to finish the Northwest Region Tournament a perfect 3-0. The team will make a quick trek home before heading to the LLWS, which begins Aug. 2 in Greenville, North Carolina. Washington will face Lake Mary, Florida in its opener.
Snohomish, referred to as Team Washington after winning the state tournament earlier in July, jumped all over Idaho on Thursday, scoring five runs in the bottom of the first inning in a rematch of Tuesday’s game, which Snohomish won 6-0. The All-Stars pounded out five singles in their first six plate appearances in the inning, which was a stark contrast from registering just one hit in their tournament opener, a 2-0 win over Oregon.
Madison Tawney (1-for-3, RBI, 2 runs) drove in the game’s first run with a line-drive single to center that scored leadoff hitter Jaliyah Wright, who finished 2-for-3 with a double, an RBI and two runs. After a wild pitch put Madison Locke (2-for-3, RBI, 2 runs) and Tawney in scoring position, Avery Calamusa drove both in with a single to right. Harlow Knisley and Jannessa Malone each singled to push the early lead to 5-0.
Calamusa led Washington’s offense, going a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate while driving in three runs and scoring twice. Snohomish pestered Idaho with 14 hits, including 13 singles, while striking out just once.
Idaho, represented by Northwest Ada Little League, opened the second inning with a double and a single, and scored its first run on a Snohomish error. Locke, Washington’s starting pitcher, found her groove after allowing her first run of the tournament, striking out the next two batters to maintain a 5-1 advantage.
Locke, daughter of former University of Washington All-American pitcher Danielle Lawrie, struck out 34 batters in three tournament games.
Idaho managed a walk and a two-out single in the third, prompting a visit to the pitching circle from Snohomish manager Jeff Crawford with runners at first and third.
“Just focus on the hitter,” he said on the ESPN broadcast’s live feed.
Concerned that Crawford might elect to intentionally walk Idaho’s hot-hitting Berkley Cook, Locke said, emphatically, “I want to throw to her.”
She did just that, inducing an inning-ending groundout.
Moments later, she scored her team’s sixth run, reaching second on an Idaho outfield error and coming home via a Jocelynn Day line drive to right.
Northwest Ada’s Emma Johnson hit a leadoff single in the fourth, but Locke mowed down three straight batters, pushing her strikeout total to eight through four innings.
The Washington offense tacked on a run in the fourth, and put the game out of reach for Idaho in the fifth.
Wright, Locke and Calamusa each drove in a run, and Calamusa scored on an Idaho error for an 11-2 lead. Northwest Ada scratched out a run in the top of the sixth, but Locke closed the win out with her 11th and 12th strikeouts.
It is Snohomish’s first trip to the Little League World Series since South Snohomish won the West Region title in 2015 before merging with North Snohomish in 2021. Snohomish is the second straight area team to win both state and regional softball titles, following Mill Creek’s run to the series last season.
After a few days at home, Snohomish will fly east. Though travel for the players is covered by Little League, parents must pay their own expenses. Contributions to team and family travel costs can be made at gofundme.com/f/send-snohomish-softball-families-to-san-bernardino
