Chain reaction guides West End

By Stan Hudy

CLIFTON PARK – West End Baseball League manager Dave Cipriani knew he had to shake things up with his Williamsport, Pennsylvania baseball squad at the 13-15-year-old all-star team at the World Series in Clifton Park.

He decided to start a chain reaction and it paid off as West End held off Pacific Southwest regional champion Torrance, California, 8-6, earning their first win of the 13-15-year-old Babe Ruth World Series at Clifton Common.

The line-up went 1 to 9, with the pitcher batting first, the catcher batting second, the first baseman batting third, etc. The line-up was so simple, possibly almost too simple.

“We put the players name in a hat and they choose where they bat,” Cipriani said. “Then the next player chooses and it goes down the line.”

The 15-year-olds responded, putting across eight runs through the first five innings, holding Torrance scoreless.

“They lost confidence in themselves and no matter what line-up I came up with couldn’t change that,” Cipriani said. “They needed their confidence and they needed it to come from themselves.”

The Williamsport product led in its two previous World Series contests in Clifton Park, leading Midwest Plains regional champion Waite Park, Minnesota, 7-1, before falling 8-7 and led host Clifton Park, 4-0, and then fell, 5-4, Sunday night.
“We weren’t overconfident in those games,” Cipriani said. “We just have to learn to play good baseball for seven innings.”

West End’s Brian Stopper drilled a two-out single in the second to drive in Tony Gotshall and Nick Rall for a 2-0 lead. The Williamsport program tacked on three more in the third on Jon Taddeo’s RBI single driving in Jon Steele. Eddie Belton came around to score on Tony Gotshall’s walk with the bases loaded and Nick Zegarski scored on a fielding error at short for a commanding 5-0 lead.

In a commanding lead, West End piled on three more runs, positioning themselves to end the contest at five innings, courtesy of the 10-run mercy rule in Babe Ruth League.

Taddeo took a lead-off walk and came around on a passed ball and a throwing error from the shortstop. Nick Zegarski and Joel Worthington would both some around to score in the inning for the 8-0 lead.

“We got ahead and thought that we had the game won,” West End’s Jon Taddeo said. “They came back and almost beat us.”

Torrance put a single run across in the fifth with Brian McConnon leading off with a walk and scored on a hit and run by Marlon Suazo, putting a dent in the total, 8-1.
The Pacific Southwest squad put the fear in West End in the sixth, scoring four runs on only two hits and two errors by West End, cutting the lead, 8-5.

William Kollmeyer led off with a walk and came around to score on a fielder’s choice by Brandon Van Reyn. Juan Gonzales and Van Reyn came around to score on a throwing error by the catcher. Frankie Sixtos was plated by Marlon Suazo’s RBI single, cutting the lead, 8-5.

William Kollmeyer turned a walk into run, scoring on Kirk Hatfield’s RBI double, but three straight outs ended the day for Torrance and gave West End a new life.
“Now it’s on to tomorrow,” Taddeo said. “Today was all or nothing, now we have to win tomorrow.”

Torrance joins West End in the all-or-nothing category today with a 1-2 record. The California squad will face the tournament host team, Clifton Park, at 7 p.m.