American Legion edges past Sportsworld

American Legion overcame an early one-run deficit to post a 2-1

victory over Sportsworld in Majors Division play at Laguna Beach

Little League’s Riddle Field.

Sportsworld took an early lead in the top of the first inning when

Drew Levin hit a single into shallow right field, stole second and

scored when Ryan Raffo blasted a Casey Miller fastball through the

gap.

Miller went on to retire the side, and Sportsworld wouldn’t score

again.

Alek Burk pitched for American Legion in the top of the third

inning and retired the side. Tyler McCray relieved Burk in the top of

the fourth and struck out two of the four batters he faced.

Travis Woloson relieved McCray in the top of the fifth inning and

struck out four batters in the last two innings to ensure the

American Legion win.

As the second batter up in the bottom of the first, Miller

promptly hit a Paul Solomon pitch deep into center field. of the four

batters he faced. In the bottom of the fourth, American Legion went

ahead when Burk doubled to center and scored on Alex Ianotti’s single

to left field, and Sean Pigdeon singled and drove Ianotti home.

Solomon recorded three strikeouts for Sportsworld.

In other Majors Division games:

Rotary 11, FireFighters 5

Michael Maxsenti hit a three-run home run in the first inning and

struck out six batters in three innings on the mound to lead Rotary

to victory.

Despite Maxsenti’s outstanding performance, the FireFighters led,

5-4, after 4 1/2 innings. Rotary, however, used a seven-run rally in

the bottom-half of the fifth to take the lead for good.

The FireFighters took a 2-0 first inning lead by taking advantage

of Jack Clark’s single and two Rotary fielding errors.

That lead could have been greater but for the outstanding

defensive play of right fielder Michael Niebuhr, who threw a strike

to shortstop Will Bonsey to catch the FireFighters’ Adam Selevan

trying to stretch his line single to the fence into a double.

After falling behind, 2-0, Rotary struck back in the bottom of the

first as Maxsenti’s three-run homer pushed his team into a 3-2 lead.

Rotary pitcher Raphael Vickers completed his three inning stint on

the mound by retiring the FireFighters’ side in the third and getting

backup on defense from Mikey Rubel.

Rotary stretched its lead to 4-2 in the third when Sawyer Pierce

scored on Rubel’s double.

They tried to go up, 5-2, in the frame, but following a Chris

Lavery single, the FireFighters Zak Cornwell made a perfect throw to

the plate to nail Rubel as he attempted to score.

The FireFighters battle back to tie the score, 4-4, in the fourth

as Ian Greene, Brennan Mulvaney, Dan Shapero, Spencer Friedenrich and

Beau Heuenstamm all reached base.

The FireFighters took the lead in the fifth as Selevan scored from

second base on an infield ground out to make it a 5-4 game.

Rotary’s seven-run rally in the fifth began when Drew Wheeler drew

a leadoff walk and brother, Alex who had doubled earlier in the

game, singled.

With the Wheeler brothers stationed at second and third, Niebuhr

laid down a perfect bunt single to score Drew Wheeler to tie the

game. Rotary then took the lead for good when Lavery had an RBI

ground out and Maxsenti drew a walk with bases loaded to make it 7-5.

Bonsey delivered an RBI single and, aided by a wild throw during

the hit, Rotary was able to clear loaded bases to forge an 11-7 lead.

Sportsworld 15, VFW 2

Sportsworld, which had key players Michael Opera, Stevie Contursi

and Taylor Preston each out of action due to broken fingers, used the

one-two pitching-catching combination of Ryan Raffo and Jack

Pillsbury, to down VFW.

Pillsbury was brought up from the AAA Division.

Raffo gave up just two hits while striking out eight.

Zack Riegler’s shot off the right field fence and Logan Schoemb’s

hit up the middle, accounted for VFW’s offense.

Sportsworld’s Travis Sampson and Paul Saloman each had two hits

and an RBI, Raffo doubled twice and Wyatt Innins had a hit and stole

two bases.

Brenden Ferguson, Brian Vail, Griffin McMullen and Kellan Lindley

made key defensive stops for Sportsworld.