Westfield jumped out to an early lead on the host team from Kitsap County, near Seattle, in the first two innings, and held on for an 8-6 win at Gene Lobe Field.
By George Edgar
BREMERTON, Wash. - The Westfield All-Stars got their first hit, their first run, and more importantly, their first win of the Babe Ruth World Series on Friday.
Westfield jumped out to an early lead on the host team from Kitsap County, near Seattle, in the first two innings, and held on for an 8-6 win at Gene Lobe Field.
Westfield had only seven hits and committed four errors; However, they took advantage of three Kitsap errors and eight walks.
“This is the way we’ve played all year long,” Westfield manager Mike Smith said. “We had a tough game, but we battled and hit better.”
Ari Schwartz got Westfield’s first hit of the World Series, a sharp single to left in the bottom of the first inning. He also scored the first run after Westfield loaded the bases and Anthony Clark walked to force in Schwartz.
“We knew it was coming,” Smith said of the hit. “We didn’t want to get no-hit again.”
Sean Murphy got on base with an error to get two more runs for a 3-1 lead. With the bases loaded in the second inning, Scott Walsh hit a two-run double and Sean Moorhouse scored on a passed ball to make it 6-1.
Kitsap scored a single run in the fourth and fifth innings, but Westfield responded each time. Clark had an RBI double in the fourth, and Schwartz had an RBI groundout in the fifth to add to the lead.
Kitsap scored twice in the sixth, but that was as close as they would get.
Moorhouse earned the win on the mound for Westfield, going six innings.
According to Smith, this is Westfield’s first Babe Ruth World Series victory in 20 years. "We had lots of people watching us on streaming video,” Smith said. “They’re happy the team got the victory.” But he added, “It was not an easy victory. Kitsap kept coming at us.”
Now 1-1 in pool play, Westfield will play Bryant, Ark. at 4 p.m. (1 p.m. PDT) at Gene Lobe Field.
“Getting no-hit, we didn’t think that would happen to us,” Moorehouse said. “But it's good to get the first win out of the way.”
“The pressure is off,” Smith said. “We knew it would be hard.”
“All 15 of our kids have played in the World Series," he added. As a coach and a parent, that’s important.”