CLEARLAKE — Four hours and four injured players later, the Westshore Junior League All-Stars pounded their way to a 15-9 victory over Healdsburg at Redbud Park in Clearlake.
The win moves Westshore (3-0) to within one victory of its first Central Area title. The team”s next game is today at 5:30 p.m. against an opponent yet to be determined.
Westshore took a 10-4 lead into the bottom of the fourth inning but Healdsburg rallied to within 10-8.
In the top of the fifth, Aaron Adams led off with a single and Anthony Driskell homered to right field, his second big fly of the tournament, tot make it 12-8.
Westshore”s defense made several solid plays to deny Healdsburg in the bottom of the fifth and sixth innings, including an amazing catch by center field Corey Dillon, which started an 8-6-1-2 inning-ending double play as catcher Ryan Lunas blocked the plate to nail a Healdsburg runner for the third out.
Adams” RBI single in the top of the sixth made it 13-8 and Westshore added two insurance runs in the seventh on an RBI double by Lunas and an RBI single by John Carrera.
Lance McCloud worked three innings for the victory.
Driskell led the Westshore assault at the plate, going 3-for-3 with four RBIs, Adams went 3-for-4 and Ryan Richardson went 3-for-5 with two doubles and two RBIs.
In action on Saturday, Westshore beat tournament host Southshore 10-4 behind the strong starting pitching of Brian Edwards, who worked the first four innings. He allowed two runs on three hits and struck out seven.
Leading 1-0 going to the bottom of the third, Westshore broke the game open with a five-run rally that occurred after two were out with the bases empty. Dillon reached on a throwing error and hustled all the way around to third on the play. Lunas followed with an RBI single to make it 2-0 and Adams smacked a double to score Lunas.
Kevin Burt walked and Jared Ashworth was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Adams, the runner at third, scored on a wild pickoff throw to third, and Edwards lined a single to right that scored Burt. When the hit rolled through the right fielder”s legs, Ashworth also scored to make it 6-0.
Kevin Oguinn”s two-out, two-run single got Southshore on the scoreboard in the top of the fourth, but Westshore answered with two runs in the bottom of the inning on Dylan McLeod”s sacrifice fly and Edwards” RBI groundout to go up 8-2.
Joe Riggs went 2-for-3 for Southshore.
