Levi Rudolph hurled a no-hitter to lead his Lake Oswego Little League team to a 7-0 victory over Pendleton Little League in the Oregon state championship game at Lakeside Little League's Falbo Field in Portland.

The win gave Lake Oswego its first-ever Oregon state championship, and advanced the Lakers into the Northwest Region tournament at San Bernardino, California. After a similarly masterful pitching effort from Rudolph in that tournament's championship game, Lake Oswego went on to reach the Little League World Series.

Rudolph used pinpoint control and an elusive curveball to lift his team past Pendleton. The right-hander retired the first fifteen batters he faced before issuing a leadoff walk in the sixth, then recorded three more outs to seal the victory. He struck out 11 of the 19 batters he faced in the game, including the side in the third and fifth innings.

"He was just dealing," said Pendleton manager Shawn Rivera of Rudolph's performance. "He'd throw the curve low and we couldn't lay off of it."

"I doubt there's ever been a better game pitched in a championship game," said Lake Oswego manager Craig Ramey after the tournament.

Lake Oswego's offense provided Rudolph with a four-run cushion in the first inning. Austin Andrews reached on an infield single to open the game, then scored when Duncan Campbell followed with a double to right center field. Brennan Malagamba drew a one-out walk, and after a strikeout, Harrison Ramey drove in both baserunners with an inside-the-park home run.

"(It) spiraled from there," said Rivera. "The four runs in the first inning really hurt us."

The Lakers added to their lead in the third, when Mitch Lomax drilled a mammoth home run into a line of trees well beyond the center field fence. In the fifth, Campbell singled and eventually scored on Malagamba's sacrifice fly.

Lake Oswego reached the championship game only after rebounding from a slow start in pool competition at the state tournament. Portland's Centennial Little League topped the Lakers, 3-1, on the tournament's opening day, then Lake Oswego found itself leading by only a 3-2 margin midway through their next pool contest against Medford National Central Little League. An 0-2 start would have left the District 4 champions on the brink of elimination, but the Lakers' offense broke the game open, exploding for 16 runs in the fourth inning to turn the tight contest into a 19-2, mercy rule-shortened victory. Lake Oswego hit three of its tournament-leading 12 home runs in the inning, with Reid Penny, Mikey Gallagher (a grand slam), and Mitchel McLaughlin clearing the fences.

The next day, Lake Oswego scored six times in the fifth inning to snap a 1-1 tie and defeat Bend North Little League, 9-5, and after a day off, the Lakers clinched first place in their pool with a 12-2, five inning win over Cascade Little League. Andrews opened the Lakers' scoring, leading off the first inning with a home run to spark a two-run rally. In the third, Malagamba drilled a run-scoring double and Harrison Ramey added a two-run single, and in the fourth, Campbell delivered a three-run homer. Penny also homered for Lake Oswego in the win. Lomax earned his second pitching victory of the tournament in the win.

Lake Oswego then extended its winning streak, reaching the championship game with a 7-5 semifinal round win over St. Helens Little League. Malagamba threw a complete game, and Lake Oswego rallied back from an early 2-0 deficit with a five run third inning rally. Penny homered for the Lakers, as did Campbell, who drove in four runs.

Pendleton, which defeated Lake Oswego in the 2005 Oregon state championship game in the 9-10 year old division, earned the other championship game berth with a 5-0 win over Medford National Central. Teddy Baker struck out eight, and allowed only three hits in a complete game effort, wile Taylor Hammersla had two hits, including a second inning home run, and scored a pair of runs.

Pendleton had earned the top seed in Pool 'B' after sweeping through its pool schedule. The District 5 champions opened the tournament with a 2-0 win over St. Helens, as Hammersla allowed only two hits and threw a 55-pitch complete game, then defeated South Suburban Little League from Klamath Falls, 7-4, and West Emerald Valley Little League, 12-1, to finish pool competition with a 3-0 record.