LYNN — It was a pitchers’ duel for the majority of the game, but in the end the West Lynn Red Sox Little League team was able to come up with one big hit in the fifth inning to earn a 3-1 win over the Pine Hill Braves in the Lynn City Series Thursday at Gallagher Park. The big hit came off the bat of Christian Figueroa, who knocked a 2-RBI single to give West Lynn the lead.
“It really was a pitchers’ duel for the first few innings there, and neither team could make a move,” said West Lynn manager Rich Contreras. “We’re just coming off of the All-Star tournament and we had a rainout (Wednesday), so it took a little while for the hitting to get going again. But we were able to get the big hit when it counted.”
Figueroa was 1-for-3 with two RBI, while Jacob Peterson went 1-for-2 with one RBI. Miguel Pena (1-for-3) also added a hit, while Will Echandy and Rowan Merryman each scored a run.
On the mound, it was Figueroa who got the job done for West Lynn. Figueroa went five innings and allowed one run on one hit with eight strikeouts to earn the victory. Peterson pitched the final inning, allowing no runs on two hits with three strikeouts to earn the save.
For Pine Hill, Jaiden Driscoll (2-for-3) and Ryan Amirault (1-for-3) had the hits, while Anthony Seals scored the lone run. David Perez pitched 4 1/3 innings for the Braves, allowing three runs on two hits with six strikeouts. Amirault pitched the final 1 2/3 innings, allowing no runs on one hit with five strikeouts.
“Unfortunately in Little League it’s the team that makes the most plays that moves on, and we didn’t make enough plays,” said Pine Hill manager Joe Driscoll. “We had some chances on both sides of the ball to make plays, but we just didn’t get it done this time.”
West Lynn jumped on the board first when Echandy came home on a RBI groundout by Peterson in the top of the first inning, putting the score at 1-0. Pine Hill answered right back in the bottom of the first, scoring on a passed ball to tie the game at 1-1.
From there, both pitchers settled in. West Lynn only got three runners on base between the second and fifth innings, while Pine Hill only put one runner on in that same time frame.
But in the top of the fifth, it all changed. A walk and an unsuccessful fielder’s choice moved runners to first and second with no outs for West Lynn, and then Peterson reached on a bunt single to load the bases. Next up was Figueroa, who laced a 2-RBI single into right field to bring home the eventual winning runs and make it 3-1.
Pine Hill did have one more run at tying the game in the bottom of the sixth. The Braves opened the inning with two singles in a row to put runners on first and second with no outs and bring the winning run to the plate. But Peterson wasn’t having any of that, and he mowed down the next three batters in order to seal the win and help West Lynn advance.
Pine Hill will now play the loser of the East Lynn-Lynn Shore game on Sunday (TBA).
“We’re just trying to keep the kids positive out there,” said Driscoll. “We’re still playing baseball, so we just have to bounce back and try to get a win this weekend.”
As for West Lynn, the Red Sox will take on the winner of that East Lynn-Lynn Shore game, also on Saturday (TBA).
“We’ve just got to try to keep this momentum going,” said Contreras. “We pulled Christian out a little early so we can use him again on the mound, so we’re feeling really good about our chances going forward.”
