VFW begins title defense with big victory

VFW won the Majors Division title during the 2002 Laguna Beach Little

League season and showed signs last weekend that it isn’t about to

relinquish its crown.

Trailing Sportsworld, 1-0, through 3 1/2 innings, VFW sent 14

batters to the plate and erupted for 10 runs in the bottom of the

fourth inning and went on to post a 10-1 victory.

The first eight VFW batters in that inning reached base and each

scored.

Alex Shusko hit a two-RBI single, Drake Dixon and Brian Yale each

had an RBI single and scored once and Armstrong walked twice and

scored twice in the frame.

Mikey Rubel, who had a bunt single, Gabe Stansbury, Taylor

Blacketer, Logan Schoembs and Casey Miller all scored in the inning.

Shusko finished the game with two hits. He also got the pitching

win in relief of starter Stansbury.

Stansbury worked the mound the first three innings and allowed

just two hits with seven strikeouts.

Dixon finished the game by striking out two in sending Sportsworld

down in order in the sixth inning.

In other games:

American Legion 5, Rotary 3

Christian Kessler’s two-RBI single in the bottom of the fifth

inning broke a 3-3 tie and sent American Legion to victory.

Alek Burk led American Legion’s battery with three hits and Kyle

Snyder finished with a single.

Travis Woloson, Burk and Tyler MacRae each pitched two innings for

the winners and combined to strike out eight and limit Rotary to

three hits.

Jack Monroe had two of Rotary’s hits and Roy Herbert had the

other.

Hobie wins pair

The pitching of Alex Germano, Chris Kennedy and Dillon Pierce,

Hobie Sports was able to open up its 2003 Majors Division season with

a pair of victories.

The three saw mound action in wins over Sports World, 10-6, and

American Legion, 10-4.

Hobie fell behind early in both games but used timely hitting to

come back on each occasion.

In those games, Germano and Pierce each hit home runs, Zac

Johnston had an RBI, Jackson Christy led a key, fourth inning rally

against Sports World, Tyler Pierce reached base on five occasions and

key hits came from Kennedy, Matthew Moisen, Keaton Jones and Eli

Viszolay.

Cole Kennedy and Nate Wilson led Hobie on defense.

In AAA Division play:

SG Roofing 18, Coldwell Banker 5

SG Roofing grabbed a 4-0 first inning lead and went on to the

13-run triumph.

Jake Glazer struck out five and shut down Coldwell Banker in the

first two innings while Michael Hyden belted a pair of towering

triples to deep centerfield to lead SG Roofing’s offensive attack.

Michael Seal and Tyler Kesler, Michael Seal and Evan Rubel each

singled during the four-run first inning.

In the second inning, Sammy Witte singled, Hyden followed with his

first triple and Kesler and Glazer each walked as the lead ballooned

to 8-0.

SG Roofing tacked on seven more runs in its third at-bat. Drew

Romero singled, Witte delivered a line-drive double, Hyden tripled

for the second time and Kesler singled.

Coldwell Banker got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the third

when Bryn Jones, Jordan Glenn and Alex Hope each singled and scored.

In the fourth, Austin Muhlhauser and Romero each singled as SG

Roofing scored two more runs. In the bottom of the inning Travis

Kelly and Glenn each scored the final two runs for Coldwell Banker.

In addition to Glazer, Witte, Alex Gromet and Hyden each saw

pitching action and Hyden struck out three in his one inning on the

mound.

In AA Division action:

Oysters 2, Brandy’s Friends 2

Joe Redfearn had two hits and Kyle Jaffe singled as the two teams

fought to a tie.

The Oysters’ Bryan Ludloff struck out five and Ojo Weiss of

Brandy’s Friends fanned three batters during the first two innings of

play.