SELMA — The Grass Valley Little League All-Stars scored four times in the bottom of the sixth inning to beat Westshore Little League 14-12 in an elimination game Monday evening during the 50/70 baseball state tournament in Selma.
Aiden Panock’s RBI double provided Grass Valley, the Section 4 champion, with the winning run.
Westshore, the Section 2 champion, scored three times in the top of the sixth to erase a 10-9 Grass Valley lead in the back-and-forth slugfest.
Jesse Hayes (3-for-4, 3 RBIs) and Johnny Gonzales (2-for-3, 2 RBIs) each hit home runs as part of Westshore’s 12-hit attack. It was Hayes’ third home run in two tournament games. Grass Valley answered with 13 hits, including two home runs.
Both teams put four runs on the scoreboard in the first inning. Westshore led 6-5 after three innings and 9-8 through four innings before Grass Valley went ahead 10-9 with a two-run fifth.
Zane McAuley and Sawyer Smith had two hits apiece for Westshore. One of Smith’s hits was a double. Hayes also stole five bases. Panock went 4-for-4 for Grass Valley with two doubles, a home run and four RBIs.
Westshore’s home runs came in the fourth (Hayes) and sixth (Gonzales) innings.
David Cruz, the fourth and final Westshore pitcher, took the loss. Gonzales started on the mound and struck out five in 2 1/3 innings.
