Bend North during the 2014 Little League Northwestern Regional baseball tournament at Al Houghton Stadium in San Bernardino, Calif (Eric Reed/For the Bulletin)

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. — Three runs in the bottom of the first inning gave the Bend North All-Star baseball team a 3-2 lead on Saturday afternoon in the Little League Northwest Regional championship. But three runs by Pacific Little League (Washington) in the top of the third and an insurance run in the fourth denied Bend’s 11- and 12-year-old all-stars a chance to advance to the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania as Pacific won 6-3.

Drew Steelhammer had three hits for Bend, which used aggressive baserunning in the first inning to erase Pacific’s early 2-0 advantage. In the bottom of the sixth inning, Bend North threatened with runners on second and third and two outs, but Pacific pitcher Ian Michael capped a complete-game effort with a strikeout to end the game and preserve the victory at Al Houghton Stadium.

Pacific, which will be making its first appearance at the Little League World Series, begins play Thursday against Illinois, the Great Lakes Regional champion.