Williamsport West End finishes BRBWS pool play 4-0, shuts out Alabama, Aruba
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BRANSON, MO. – On Sunday afternoon, the West End 13-16 all-star baseball team kept up its strong start to the Babe Ruth World Series, shutting out both Alabama and Aruba to finish pool play 4-0 and earn the tournament’s No. 1 seed.
In Game One of the doubleheader, the team shut out the Alabama Rawdogs, 7-0, to improve to 3-0 in pool play. Starting pitcher LJ Hill pitched a perfect game and the team produced 11 hits to take home the dominant victory.
"Couple of our guys have gone into a little hitting slump here at the World Series, LJ (Hill) being one of them, so we decided today to let him just worry about pitching and it definitely worked out well for us, said West End baseball manager Marc Hess when discussing the win. "LJ threw a perfect game, (and we) played a great defensive game behind him."
Perfect games are rare at this level, especially at this point in the series of tournament. But starting pitcher LJ Hill managed just that, throwing seven perfect inning to ultimately do it himself from the mound. Through the performance, he struck out eight and posted a strike rate of 71-percent. Notably, he didn't need 85 pitches, throwing 73.
Offensively, Williamsport West End's top-seven batters each logged at least one hit, constantly putting pressure on Alabama, who ultimately used three pitchers. Four of those players – Camden March, Jaymes Carpenter, Zack Neill and Nate Crowe – had multiple. Noah Kirby, Neill and Crowe had two RBIs.
In terms of slugging, the team also managed five extra-base hits, with March, Carpenter, Neill and Trey Damschroder each logging a double and Crowe managing a triple.
Williamsport West End got the scoring going early, getting out to a 4-0 lead by the time the first inning was even over. From there, it'd go on to add insurance runs in the fifth and sixth, scoring a pair in the former.
Against Aruba in the second game of the doubleheader, it was much of the same, as Williamsport West End also won that game 7-0 behind proficiency on both sides of the field. There, Briar Persing was the player to lead the team from the mound, pitching a two-hitter while the offense produced ten hits.
Offensively, Camden March and Jaymes Carpenter each built off strong performances in Game One and then some, producing trios of hits and consistently helping the team impact the scoreboard. March led the team with four runs, had a home run and two doubles. And Carpenter had a double, two RBIs and a run.
Williamsport West End again started the game immediately scoring, getting out to a 2-0 lead in the first. It’d add three runs in the third, a run in the fourth and another in the sixth to constantly keep Aruba off balance.
“We knew they were a very solid team and were 2-0 in our pool as well and if they beat us it would have dropped us to the 2 seed and we would have had to play an extra elimination game,” said Hess on the win over Aruba. “Very happy knowing it was going to be hot today and always tough playing a doubleheader.”
Through four games of pool play, Williamsport West End outscored its opponents by a combined score of 27-1 while posting three shutouts. That ultimately allowed it to win its pool and clinch a first-round bye, advancing the team to quarterfinals in a single-elimination bracket.
“To win both games 7-0 today against two very solid teams was impressive. It's hard to believe but I do not think we have hit our stride hitting yet in the World Series,” said Hess. “Our pitching and our defense have been very solid. Now with the extra couple days rest we can get everything lined back up.”
It resumes play on Thursday at 5 p.m.
BABE RUTH 13-16 WORLD SERIES
Williamsport West End 7, Alabama 0
ALA 000 000 0 – 0 0 2
WWE 400 021 X – 7 11 0
LJ Hill and . W – Hill.
Top Williamsport hitters: Zack Neill 2-3, 2B, 2 RBIs, run; Nate Crowe 2-3, 3B, 2 RBIs; Camden March 2-3, 2B, run; Jaymes Carpenter 2-4, 2B, RBI, 2 runs.
Williamsport West End 7, Aruba 0
WWE 203 101 0 – 7 10 2
ARB 000 000 0 – 0 3 4
Briar Persing, Cade Lusk (7) and Jaxson March. W – Persing.
Top Williamsport hitters: Camden March 3-4, HR, 2 2Bs, RBI, 4 runs; Jaymes Carpenter 3-3, 2B, 2 RBIs, run. Briar Persing 1-2, RBI. Nate Crowe 1-3, RBI.