Sports World wins opener

Sports World and American Legion put on quite a show Monday night at

Riddle Field, and the hotly-contested Majors Division game ended in

favor of Sports World, 10-6.

It was the season opener for both teams.

Hits by Stevie Contursi and Taylor Preston and walks by Drew

Wheeler and Travis Clawson allowed Sports World a 3-0 lead through

the first half-inning of play.

American Legion retaliated with a fun in the bottom-half of the

inning, but Sports World blew the game open in its next at-bat.

Brian Vail drew a bases loaded walk, Preston and Alex Ianotti both

doubled and Wheeler homered out of the park, highlighting and inning

that saw Sports World score seven runs in opening up a 10-1 lead.

American Legion began a rally in the third inning, getting a

single from Robbie McInerny and an RBI double from Jeff Kimbrough.

Wheeler, however, came up with the game’s defensive play of the game,

as he made a diving catch in centerfield to rob Jake Herbert of a

hit.

Jack Clark singled in the sixth and Keaton Jones, McInerny,

Kimbrough and Ben Hanson all scored in the bottom of the sixth, but

it wasn’t enough for American Legion.

In other Majors Division action:

VFW 9, Rotary 6

VFW jumped out to a 4-0 first inning lead, and went on to win this

season opener for both squads.

Matt Neev, Tyler Pierce, Derek Reigel and Rex Strombotne all

scored in the first inning for VFW.

Strombotne, VFW’s starting pitcher, allowed only one hit, a double

by Michael Hyden, who later went on to score Rotary’s first run.

VFW scored five more times in the third inning, getting runs from

Pierce, Strombotne, Santi Pierini, Larry Stewart and Blake Hester.

Shane Takabayashi pitched solidly in relief in the fourth and

fifth innings for VFW.

Rotary’s Alek Burk scored in the fourth and Tyler Kessler’s RBI

brought home Brogan O’Brian home in the fifth, making it 9-3.

An outstanding catch in centerfield by VFW’s Norty Penney helped

limit Rotary to just one run in the fifth.

Rotary rallied in the sixth, with Travis Sampson, Takabayashi and

Burk all scoring.