Playing in its first regional game, the Bend North Little League softball picked up its first-ever regional win.

Oregon’s state champions beat Gastineau Channel Little League of Juneau, Alaska, 9-1 Saturday afternoon in the Little League Softball Northwest Region Tournament at Al Houghton Stadium in San Bernardino, California. Teams from Oregon, Alaska, Montana, Idaho, Washington and Wyoming are competing for a spot in the Little League Softball World Series, Aug. 6-13 in Greenville, North Carolina.

Bend North plays Lewiston Little League (Idaho), which had a bye, in the quarterfinals at noon on Sunday. The games are streamed live on ESPN+.

If there was any question about how the team would perform during its first time on the big stage, Janelle Guiney’s first inning provided the answer. The pitcher struck out the side in the first inning, then, in her first at-bat, she gave Bend North a 1-0 lead with an inside-the-park home run.

Bend North showed great patience in the batter’s box in the first inning, drawing three consecutive walks to help build its lead.

Catcher Jessie Berry scored on a wild pitch, and right fielder Madeline Switzer drove in a run to give Bend a 3-0 lead in the first inning.

After another inning with three strikeouts for Guiney, Bend North’s offense added three more runs. Left fielder Ruby Mottern drove in a run with a single. That was immediately followed by a two-run single by left-fielder Sylvie Seaton, giving Bend a commanding 6-0 lead after two innings.

Alaska got on the board with a run in the fourth inning.

Bend added three insurance runs in the fifth, with three consecutive hits to take control of the game.

Guiney singled, followed by an RBI double by Berry — then first baseman/catcher Jocelyn Lima belted an RBI triple.

While the Bend North offense provided plenty of cushion, Guiney was dominant on the mound, striking out 13 Alaska batters while yielding just one earned run on three hits.