ARLINGTON — In five or six years, the girls softball players facing off on the Haller Middle School field might meet in conference or district competition for Arlington or one of the Marysville high schools.

But for now, the 9- to 11-year-olds that make up the minor leagues of Stilly Valley and Marysville Little League are just working on the fundamentals of the sport. In their May 7 meeting, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, one of three teams in the Stilly Valley minors, beat the team sponsored by Marysville Ford, 18-9.

While Little League games usually run six innings long, these players are getting their first taste of pitching and hitting against developing pitchers, which changes the dynamics of the game.

While many of the game’s early runs came from accumulated walks, both teams got sharper on the mound and defensively as the night went on.

“At this age group, it’s hard to get a pitch over the plate, so when you get one, you want to get the hit,” said Greg Beal, who coached the Stilly Valley team. He began coaching the team this year when his daughter moved into the league from Boys and Girls Club softball. “Tonight, we got some hits and made some plays.”

Both Beal and Marysville coach Amber Baxter moved players around the field often, giving players the opportunity to try out lots of different positions on the field.

“Our age is level is focused more on learning and developing their skills,” Baxter said, adding that while coaches keep score, they don’t emphasize it to the players.

While Beal echoed Baxter’s sentiment about focusing on teaching the kids softball fundamentals more than winning games, he added that he wants to lead the players to their best possible individual performances, since some of the players could compete for the 9- and 10-year-old all-star team after the Little League season ends. One of his players is walking proof of that possibility, as Shyne McKay played on last year’s team that competed in the state tournament in Kirkland last summer.

“It’s supposed to be a learning experience and we try to win some games,” he said.

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