The city of Brenham has long been a big name in Texas high school baseball circles, thanks to Brenham High School's six state championships and frequent high ranking among the state's Class 4A teams.

In 2005, the area's Little League program was big news, as well.

Brenham's Washington County Little League erased early deficits against each of their three opponents in the East Texas championship tournament at Rose Capital Little League's Faulkner Park in Tyler. The third of these victories, a 7-3 win over First Colony American Little League, gave Washington County the East Texas championship.

With the win, Washington County earned its first state title since 1970, and advanced to the Southwestern Region tournament in Waco.

First Colony American grabbed an early 3-0 lead in the championship game, but Washington County took the lead for good with a four-run rally in the second inning. Ryan Lawhun opened the inning with a double to center field, and later scored when Chance Bolcerek's sacrifice fly narrowed the deficit to 3-2. Later in the inning, Corey Bentke put Washington County in front with a two-run double that scored Colin Crenshaw and Zach Jacobs.

Lawhan added a solo home run in the third inning, and Dillon Knebel's single to right field in the sixth scored pinch runner Blake Wilkelmann.

First Colony American loaded the bases in the sixth and brought the potential tying run to the plate before Washington County pitcher Royce Neumann escaped the jam with an inning ending groundout.

Neumann, who closed the game with five shutout innings, struck out four and scattered six hits while pitching his team's third complete game of the tournament.

Washington County had reached the championship game with a 3-2 victory over First Colony American in the winner's bracket finals. The District 13 champions snapped a 2-2 tie in the bottom of the sixth inning when Crenshaw lined a pitch off the 200-foot sign in center field to score Lawhun from third base.

First Colony American had taken a 2-1 lead in the third inning on Austin Decell's solo home run, then Washington County tied it in the bottom of the inning when Jacobs walked and eventually scored on Neumann's single.

Jacobs struck out seven and walked one to earn the win for Washington County.

First Colony American, which won the inaugural East Texas tournament in 2002, earned a rematch by defeating ORWALL National 8-2 in the elimination bracket finals. The District 16 champions put the game away by scoring all eight of their runs in the top of the first inning, then cruised behind the pitching of Alec Horvath.

Decell opened the scoring with a two-run homer to left field that scored Phillip Casey. After three consecutive bases-loaded singles, Casey came to the plate again, and capped the inning with a three-run homer.

Jake Sixour homered in the second inning for ORWALL National.

Horvath allowed three hits over five innings of work to earn the victory.

Washington County had opened the tournament with a 7-1 win over Angleton. Winning pitcher Colten Walla struck out fourteen batters and allowed only two hits after the first inning to lead his team to its eighth consecutive victory.

Angleton scored its only run in the first inning, when a Dirk Masters' triple and Evan Powell's single produced a short-lived lead.

In the bottom of the inning, Bentke's RBI double tied the game, then Neumann launched a long home run over the right field fence to give Washington County a 4-1 lead.

The Brenham-based team then iced the win with a three-run rally in the fifth.

First Colony American downed ORWALL National 6-1 in the other opening round game. Andrew Bjordgield struck out twelve in a complete game effort, while Austin Gill's bases-loaded triple in the third inning highlighted a four-run rally that broke the game open.

Washington County -- which finished as the runner-up in the East Texas 11-year-old championship tournament on the same night that the league won the major baseball title -- won two of its three pool games at the Southwestern Region tournament, and reached the semifinal round before falling, 7-2, to eventual Little League World Series qualifier Lafayette (Louisiana) Little League.