PHOTO PROVIDED West End’s 13-16-year-old Babe Ruth Baseball all-star team poses prior to the start of the World Series in Branson, Missouri.

It may have made some fans a little nervous seeing a zero on the scoreboard through six innings, but West End’s bats finally sparked when they needed in the seventh.

It was that seventh inning where West End plated three runs to earn a 3-1 win over Native Nations in the Babe Ruth World Series 13-16-year-old age division in Branson, Missouri to open the tournament, 1-0.

“I’m very happy to get the win in Game 1 as it always takes a little to settle in and kids had some nerves going into the game hearing all about this time they were playing,” West End coach Marc Hess said.

The Native Nations are made up of Native Americans from eight states that ran a tournament with eight teams and 160 players. They then selected the best 15 players from that tournament to send to Branson, Missouri for the Babe Ruth World Series.

Native Nations held a 1-0 lead going into the seventh inning after scoring one in the bottom of the second.

Zack Neill led West End’s offense by going2 for 3 with a double, RBI and run scored. Trey Damschroder was 1 for 3, Camden March went 1 for 3 with a run scored, Briar Persing went 1 for 3 with a double and RBI, Jaymes Carpenter went 1 for 2 and Nate Crowe went 1 for 3 to help West End’s offense.

“We just had a team meeting coming off the field and I told them they just need to put some better at bats together and that is exactly what we did,” Hess said of the seventh inning.

Defensively, West End played solid throughout the game. The Native Nations had just three hits — all singles. Briar Persing threw 4 2/3 innings with five strikeouts and only one hit allowed before Nate Crowe releived him and threw 1 1/3 innings with one only single allowed. Trey Damschroder came in to close the game out in the seventh and only gave up one hit. Crowe picked up the win.

“It started with Briar and he threw the ball well and we brought Nate in to hold them and Trey came in to close the door,” Hess said. “Another game when pitchers can throw with confidence as our defense played another solid game behind good pitching.”

West End plays again on Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. against Puerto Rico in Branson, Missouri. West End’s next two games prior to advancing to the elimination portion of the tournament are on Sunday in a doubleheader.

West End faces Gulf Shores at 11:30 a.m. on Sunday morning and then plays Aruba at 5 p.m. on Sunday.

West End 3, Native Nations 1

(BABE RUTH 13-16-YEAR-OLD

WORLD SERIES)

(at Branson, Missouri)

West End 000 000 3 — 3 7 0

Native Nations 010 000 0 — 1 3 1

Briar Persing, Nate Crowe (5), Trey Damschroder (7) and Jaxson March. Snopls, (name n/a) (7) and Lyons. W–Crowe.

Top West End hitters: Trey Damschroder 1-3; Camden March 1-3, run; Briar Persing 1-3, 2B, RBI; Jaymes Carpenter 1-2; Zack Neill 2-3, 2B, RBI, run; Nate Crowe 1-3. Top Native Nations hitters: Jordan 1-1, 2 BB, run; Sneezy 1-2, RBI.