American Legion wipes out Dodgers in 15-2 win

When rain and lightning delayed the Majors Division game between

American Legion and the San Juan Capistrano Dodgers after 2 1/2

innings on April 1, the outcome was left up in the air.

But a month later, when the two teams concluded what they had

begun on April Fool’s Day, American Legion went on to score a 15-2

laughter.

American Legion took the lead from the start, when Casey Miller

singled, Travis Woloson and Beau Hutson walked and Alex Innaotti

singled to drive in a pair of runs in the top of the first inning.

Alex Gromet continued the scoring trend in the second when he drew

a leadoff walk. Austin Paxson singled before Bryn Jones doubled in a

run.

Miller and Woloson both produced hits to drive in one run each.

When the game was continued, Arman Terrell singled and Woloson

singled home two more runs in the third inning.

In the fifth and sixth innings, American Legion batters

overpowered Dodger pitching.

Sean Pidgen, Paxson and Terrell each had hits and Casey Miller

bounced a double over the fence at the 200’ mark.

Alek Burk drove in two runs with a single and Hutson, Pidgen,

Iannotti, Paxson and Morgan Curry each had additional hits to seal

the 15-2 victory.

In other Majors Division games:

Rotary 9, American Legion 4

Rotary broke open a close game by scoring five runs off seven hits

in the third inning en route to the five-run victory.

Mikey Rubel, Michael Maxsenti, Raphael Vickers and Michael Hyden

each had two hits in the win.

Rotary’s pitching staff of Maxsenti, Hyden and Will Bonsey limited

American Legion to just four hits, but one of them was a towering

home run by Beau Hutson.

Rotary took a 3-0 lead in the top-half of the first inning,

getting a double from Rubel and singles by Maxsenti, Bonsey and

Hyden.

American Legion came back in the bottom of the inning to score a

run when Alek Burke blasted a leadoff double and scored on Travis

Woloson’s infield grounder.

In the decisive third inning, Rubel, Maxsenti, Vickers, Hyden,

Alex Wheeler, Chris Lavery and Brett Linkletter all stroked hits,

which led to five runs and an 8-1 cushion.

Hutson homered over the left field fence.

Hyden completed the scoring when he singled home Vickers, who had

singled.

The win improved division-leading Rotary’s record to 13-1.

Rotary 6, VFW 5

Rotary needed a sixth-inning rally to come from behind to defeat

VFW in one of the division’s most exciting games of the year.

The game featured six home runs, including two each by Rotary’s

Chris Lavery and VFW’s Clayton Steel.

Rotary’s Michael Maxsenti and VFW’s Zach Riegler also hit

round-trippers.

Rotary took a 3-0 first inning lead behind Mikey Rubel’s hit to

left field, followed by back-to-back homers by Lavery and Maxsenti.

VFW charged back in the bottom of the first as Jake Glazer drew a

walk and Steel delivered a two-run homer. Logan Schoembs, who was hit

by a pitch, scored on Robbie McKnight’s infield grounder to tie the

game at 3-3.

In the top of the third, Lavery gave Rotary a 4-3 edge with his

second homer of the night. But in the bottom of the third, Steel tied

the score at 4-4 with his second homer of the game.

VFW took its first and only lead in the bottom of the fourth when

Riegler, now pitching, gave himself a 5-4 lead by ripping the sixth

homer of the game.

VFW continued to hold on to that one-run lead heading into the

sixth inning. There, Alex Wheeler and Rubel singled and Maxsenti’s

sacrifice fly scored a run to tie the game at 5-5.

With two outs, Bonsey roped a single into left field, scoring

Rubel as Rotary regained the lead at 6-5.

Maxsenti came in and struck out the VFW side in the bottom of the

sixth inning to secure the victory.

For VFW, Ziegler not only hit a go-head home run, but also pitched

six strong innings and registered six strikeouts.

Hyden struck out three in three innings pitched and Vickers struck

out four in two innings of work for Rotary.