Eight is enough for VFW players

Although things might have looked bleak from the start, there was no

sign of resignation in VFW when it took on the San Juan Angels in

Little League action.

Laguna Beach-based VFW, instead, showed a never-say-die attitude,

as it battled back and eventually overcame San Juan in an

eight-inning affair, 8-7, at Riddle Field.

After giving up five walks and two hits in the top of the first

inning, VFW found itself in a 5-0 hole.

The comeback, however, began immediately, as an RBI single by

Santi Pierini scored Matt Neev in the bottom-half of the inning.

Blake Hester took to the mound for VFW after the first inning and

threw the next six frames. He allowed just four hits and two runs,

one of which came on a homerun in the fifth inning.

In the bottom of the second, Tyler Pierce doubled and Derek Riegel

and Hester each came up with an RBI sacrifice for two more VFW runs.

In the fourth and fifth innings, hits by Pierce, Colin Ceithaml,

and Pierini allowed VFW to tie the score at 7-7.

Pierce pitched both extra innings and recorded five strikeouts. He

allowed just one hit.

Neev and Rex Strombotne each had hits in the eighth inning, and

Strombotne scored the winning run.