VFW storms forward

VFW rode its biggest offensive output of the 2003 season to move into

the championship round of the Majors Division postseason tournament

at Laguna Beach Little League.

VFW came up with 10 hits and had 15 batters walk in posting a 19-4

victory over Laguna Surf & Sport at Riddle Field.

Two big innings were the difference in the game.

VFW sent 11 batters to the plate in the second frame and scored

six runs to build on a 2-1 lead it had taken after the first inning,

their two runs coming on Taylor Blacketer’s two-out single.

In the fifth, 15 batters marched to the plate and VFW parlayed the

onslaught into 11 more runs.

Blacketer paced the attack with a three for three game that

included a triple and produced six RBIs.

Gabe Stansbury also had three hits, knocked in three runs and

scored four runs. Cooper Gwaltney doubled among two hits and had two

RBIs.

Drake Dixon and Mikey Rubel each had a hit and RBI, leadoff hitter

Alex Shusko walked three times, had an RBI and scored three runs,

Brian Yale walked three times and scored twice, Casey Miller and

Wyatt Innins each had an RBI and Will Armstrong and Logan Schoembs

each walked and scored.

Stansbury threw a solid three innings. He allowed just one hit --

a one-out home run to Caine Faire in the first inning -- and struck

out five.

Faire finished the game two for two to lead Laguna Surf & Sport,

which also got a two-run home run from Shane Snyder.

Will Marquette added an RBI single for Surf & Sport’s final run

and Jaime Melchor singled.

In other postseason play:

AA Division

Oysters 8, Javier’s 7

In a game that neither team deserved to lose, the Oysters

prevailed when Teague Hamilton singled to score Zane Bhansali with

the winning run in a contest that was decided in 10 innings after 4

1/2 hours of play over a two-day period.

The game was called with the score tied, 6-6, after nine innings

due to darkness.

It was resumed the following day.

In the top of the 10th, Javier’s took a 7-6 lead behind hits by

Andrew Koumas, Casey Kimball and Ricky Coury with Koumas scoring the

go-ahead run.

Undeterred, the Oysters came back in the bottom of the 10th to win

the game.

Jack Garcia’s hit scored Dane Maison to tie the game, setting up

Hamilton’s game-winning RBI single.

Hamilton finished with two hits and two RBI, Warren Abbate had an

RBI double and Nathan Thomas and Morgan Lebby each had an RBI.

Connor Ward had a two-RBI single, Weston Barnes had two hits and

two RBI and Owen Webber collected an RBI to lead Javier’s.