Culver City Observer -

Westchester Wins Elimination Game

Westside Baseball's Westchester Babe Ruth 14U team defeated Arizona, 12-3 Tuesday in an elimination game in the Babe Ruth Pacific Southwest Regional tournament in Surprise, Arizona.

Arizona came into the game undefeated, needing a win to clinch a berth in the semi finals. Westchester, having lost to Hawaii on Monday, needed a win to continue its quest for a shot at a trip to the World Series.

Westchester turned to Loyola High’s Derek Marshall to start the most important game of the tournament. Marshall responded with a 109-pitch complete game victory. He walked two and gave up 11 hits in the victory. None of the Arizona runs were earned. Marshall was also the offensive hero, getting 3 hits and knocking in 2 runs.

The game was scoreless going into the third inning. Dailin Lee took a pitch to his ribs, went to second on a single by Justin Morris and then proceeded to steal third and then home, scoring the first run of the game.

Arizona tied the game with a solo run in the top of the fourth. Westchester answered with three in the bottom of the fourth on singles by Marshall, Kane Kutler and Jonathan Phelps and a bases-clearing triple by Lee.

Down 4-1, Arizona came back for two in the top of the fifth. Westchester answered with two in the bottom of the fifth on an Aaron Greenfield single, a walk to Nolan Martinez, a Marshall single and a sacrifice fly by Kutler.

Westchester blew the game open in the bottom of the sixth with six more runs. . Phelps started the big innings off with a double to right center. After Morris walked and Kelvin Murillo reached base, Aaron Greenfield delivered the knockout blow with a double to left center. Nolan Martinez, Marshall and Saul Martinez each singled knocking in the remaining runs.

Marshall shut down Arizona in the seventh, completing the game.

The Westchester Babe Ruth 14 U All Star team split its first two games in the Pacific Southwest regional on Monday. Westchester fell to a pesky Hawaii team, 6-0 in the first game before blowing out Nevada's representative, Fallon, 22-3 in the nightcap.

Hawaii starter Matthew Eastlock baffled Westchester for seven innings, giving up just four hits (singles by Justin Morris, Aaron Greenfield and Nolan Martinez and a double by Kelvin Murillo). Westchester pitchers Kailin Woodard, Dom Johnson and Jason Zeidman pitched effectively, but the offense wasn't able to keep Westchester in the game. Manager Hector Zamora complimented Eastlock, "He was very poised for a 14-year-old, and did his job."

Nolan Martinez commented, "He kept us off balance and hit his spots. We seemed a bit flat. I hope we get another shot at him in the Finals."

Westchester was anything but flat in the second game, stunning Nevada with nine runs in the top of the first. Westchester scored eight runs before Nevada recorded its first out. Kane Kutler's line drive two-run single and a perfect bunt single down the third base line by Left fielder Dailin Lee highlighted the scoring. Starting pitcher Dylan Sledge, breezed through the first inning, shutting down Nevada without a hit.

After a couple of bad breaks, Sledge gave way to Zeidman in the second. Zeidman pitched out of the jam, and Westchester held a 9-1 lead after two innings.

Westchester added another four in the top of the third inning on a Dailin Lee triple, singles by Morris, Murillo and Greenfield and then a 360-foot blast over the left field fence by Nolan Martinez.

Westchester exploded for nine more in the fourth, including hits by Martinez, Woodard, Brandon Brown and a bases-clearing single by Eli Saucedo. Lee followed with an inside the park home run. Three batters later, Greenfield ended the scoring with a three-run home run down the left field line, measured at 340 feet.

Zeidman tired in the fourth, giving way to Johnson and Woodard. Martinez had four hits, and Lee and Greenfield had three apiece. Lee, showing rare emotion, spoke of the team's big win, "We came back after a tough loss and showed intensity."

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