By BRETT R. CROSSLEY
WILLIAMSPORT–It was just California’s day.
The West scored runs in each of the first three innings, but Devin Hinojosa’s third inning pinch-hit home run proved that it was his team’s night.
It would be the West’s final runs, but it would be enough as it defeated Texas 5-0 in the final game of the night.
The loss eliminates Texas, which scored just one run in two Little League World Series games.
The West wasted little time getting on the board after Ali Camarillo opened the game with a triple. Camarillo, after a hit batter added another base runner, scored on a passed ball for the game’s first run. Camarillo also hit a single in the second to advance Luis Guevara to third.
A sacrifice fly and passed ball advanced Lucas Marrujo, who reached after getting hit in the first inning. He too scored on a passed ball to give the West a quick 2-0 lead over the Southwest.
The offense continued in the second inning when Daniel Leon drove a pitch to the left field wall for a standup double. Leon scored on a passed ball, making him the third West runner to do so in the first two innings.
The pinch-hit home run from Hinojosa gave the West a 5-0 lead over the Southwest.
In the fourth, the Southwest defense overcame its fourth hit batter to blank the West for the first time in the game. The momentum failed to carry over as the offense was sat down in order to end the fourth inning.
The West was blanked for a second consecutive inning after two strikeouts and a groundout to second ended the inning.
Southwest starter Dominic Tellis hit a batter in each of the first three innings as the West built a 3-0 lead.
In the bottom half of the first inning the West turned a textbook 5-4-3 double play to negate a walk by Britton Moore. The Southwest went down 1-2-3 in the second as Victor Lizarrage recorded his second strikeout to end the inning.
Brody Ticer logged Texas’ first hit with a single into the right field in the bottom of the third inning. A hit batter gave the Southwest another base runner, but both would be stranded as a strikeout and pop fly to centerfield ended the inning.
West 5, Southwest 0
WEST 212 000-5 4 0
SW 000 000-0 2 0
Victor Lizarraga and Joshua Bruce. Dominic Tellis, Rilan Quinones (6), and Blake Compton.
WP: Lizarraga. LP: Tellis.
Top West hitters: Ali Camarillo 2-3, 3B, run. Top Southwest hitters: Brody Ticer 1-1.
Records: West 1-1. Southwest 0-2.
