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West Springfield American stays alive
Unable to produce with the bases loaded and a rain delay on the way, the West Springfield American 10- and 11-year-old All-Stars suffered a 12-5 loss to Chesterfield on Sunday and dropped to the bottom part of the state tournament bracket.
It could've been a blessing in disguise, as West Springfield American has battled through adversity to log its most recent success, a 6-3 win in a rematch with Chesterfield on Wednesday morning.
In three games since the loss, West Springfield American has now scored 12, 20 and six runs, respectively, but Wednesday's performance, authored by ace pitcher Joseph Doran, might've been the most impressive thus far.
Doran tossed a complete-game gem, scattering seven hits and allowing three runs. The most impressive statistic: He threw 70 pitchers, 60 of which were strikes. Doran struck out three.
And just to be sure that West Springfield American's previous shortcomings with the bases loaded were revolved, Justin Clemson connected for a grand slam in the second inning. Ian Reilly followed with a solo homer.
“When we lost on Sunday to Chesterfield, we knew we played a great game,” said West Springfield American coach Curt Nutbrown. “So we went right back at 'em [Wednesday].”
In its first tilt after the loss, West Springfield American knocked out Lebanon, a team that it had previously defeated, 12-1. With the win, West Springfield American advanced to face Upper Loudoun.
Offense and relief pitching were the keys in West Springfield American's 20-7 rout. With the bases juiced in the second inning, Reilly hit another bomb. Still, Upper Loudoun's offense mustered some runs and threatened at 9-7. By that point, Nutbrown tapped Duran to stop the surge.
“He's a little guy. I don't even think he's 5-foot tall, he probably weighs 85 pounds. He marches out onto the mound and the other teams say, 'Look at this guy coming out here! We're gonna pound him!' And then he throws like Mariano Rivera and dominates.”
As stellar as Doran was in relief, it was West Springfield American's power and consistency from all of its hitters that inevitably won the game.
That six of the team's 12 batters have hit home runs in the tournament shows how deep this team is.
There was no better example of its offensive proficiency than in the fourth inning against Upper Loudoun. In that inning, 16 batters went to the plate. Eleven runs scored, and with a 13-run lead, the game was finally called.
West Springfield American will face Chantilly American Thursday morning at 10 a.m. for the state title. Nutbrown and Co. need to win twice, while Chantilly American -- of the bracket's top half -- need to win only once.
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