West Side advances in regional tournament with extra-inning win

Hamilton all-star team plays Wednesday afternoon
The West Side Little League All Stars beat Tuscarawas County on Wednesday in Ironton to win the state tournament. West Side advances to the Great Lakes Regional  tournament beginning Aug. 8 in Whitestown, Ind. CONTRIBUTED

The West Side Little League All Stars beat Tuscarawas County on Wednesday in Ironton to win the state tournament. West Side advances to the Great Lakes Regional tournament beginning Aug. 8 in Whitestown, Ind. CONTRIBUTED

West Side Little League remains alive in the Great Lakes Regional Tournament, thanks to some magic in extra innings of a loser’s bracket game.

The West Side all-stars beat Indiana state champion Brownsburg Little League, 2-1, in seven innings Tuesday to extend their tournament run in Whitestown, Ind. West Side needs to win two more games to advance to the regional championship game and punch its ticket to the Little League World Series, as both the finalists advance.

West Side came up big with two outs in the top of the seventh to take a 2-0 lead, then worked out of a jam to hold Brownsburg to one run in the bottom of the inning, getting all three outs after allowing a double and a run-scoring triple to start the frame.

Levi Smith got things going for West Side’s offense, reaching on an error on a ground ball hit to the shortstop to extend the seventh and then scoring on Cooper Oden’s double to left field. Chase Moak entered as a pinch runner for Oden, and Brady Baumann doubled to bring him home before a strikeout ended the frame.

Brownsburg then answered with two extra-base hits, including a triple to right to bring in a run, but pitcher Chance Retherford relieved Oden and got himself out of it by fielding a groundout, catching a pop-up in foul territory and then striking out the last batter to seal the win.

Oden allowed seven hits but just one unearned run over six innings before Retherford relieved him. Retherford needed just 10 pitches to end the game and went 1-for-3 at the plate to account for one of the team’s four hits. Smith went 1-for-2 with the one run, Oden was 1-for-2 with an RBI and Baumann was 1-for-1 with one RBI.

West Side continues play Wednesday at 2 p.m. against Wisconsin or Kentucky. West Side lost a 2-1 decision to Kentucky on Sunday to open the tournament.

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