Red Sox win Majors Division two consecutive years

Solid defense, mixture of hitting an edge over Mariners

Marques Hunter

of the Gateway

The Red Sox know what it feels like to go undefeated.

Going into the Gig Harbor Little League city championship baseball game last Saturday night, the Red Sox were 18-0. They stretched their streak to 19 consecutive wins by beating the Mariners 8-5 for their second straight Majors Division title at the Gig Harbor Little League Complex.

But in the beginning, the Mariners looked like they would spoil the Red Sox’s perfect season and steal the crown.

Mariners pitcher Henry Cheney staked his team to an early lead when he belted a two-run home run over the center-field wall. It was his fifth home run of the season and third consecutive game with a long ball.

The Red Sox had beaten the Mariners in their previous two outings this season, but this one wasn’t going to be easy. Still, they responded quickly with four consecutive base hits in the bottom of the first inning to take a 4-2 lead.

First-year Red Sox pitcher Alex Berman said winning the city championship felt pretty good.

“A lot of our offensive players came through,” said Berman, who allowed five runs, four hits and struck out three. “I think we made all the plays we needed to. I think we did an overall good job on defense.”

Berman settled down in the second and third innings, retiring six straight. The Red Sox took advantage of an error with the bases loaded to score two more runs in the second.

But even with a 6-2 lead, the Red Sox weren’t in control of the game.

The Mariners’ Adam Barker cranked a three-run home run in the top of the fourth to make it 6-5. It was his fifth of the year and first in the season-ending tournament.

The Mariners got themselves in position to regain the lead, but the Red Sox defense didn’t allow it. They made the routine plays and managed to stay in front of the ball.

Red Sox manager Terry Ryan said the team’s defense was equal to their pitching and offense.

“We’ve done a good job this year based on having a well-rounded team,” Ryan said. “They were undefeated all year. That’s pretty awesome.”

Immediately after the Mariners’ second home run, the Red Sox summoned Christian Lewis to the mound. His pitching was good enough to thwart any chances of a Mariners rally, as he retired all seven batters he faced.

Then the Red Sox’s Hunter Werner gave his team some added comfort when he smashed a towering, two-run shot over the left-field wall, his 10th homer of the year.

“We were up by one run, and I knew we needed more runs to go ahead and take their momentum,” Werner said. “So I just went out trying to hit a line drive base hit. He gave me a pitch I could work with, and I took it deep.”

Werner said this year’s championship felt different because the Red Sox didn’t play as well throughout the season.

“Our team has really good defense,” Werner said. “Defense is one of the most important parts of the game, and if you make errors, it can cost you.”

Boys AAA Division

In other championship games, the Bay Sox beat the Bandits in extra innings to win 4-3. The Bay Sox’s Chad Carlson had the game-winning RBI single in the bottom of the eighth, scoring David Bessex.

Girls Major Division

The Force won their second consecutive championship on Sunday, beating Key Peninsula 11-1. The team was led by Megan Riggs, who struck out eight Key Peninsula players and set a Gig Harbor Little League softball record with 87 strikeouts for the season.

Boys AA Division

The Bulls ended a successful regular season with an 8-6 win over the Sea Dogs for the league championship.

Nick Eberhardt, who pitched a solid 4 1/3 innings, led off the third inning with a triple and later scored on a bunt by Benjamin Easley.

Down 5-3, the Bulls rallied to score five runs. They finished with solid defense to seal the victory.

Girls Minors Division

Team Glory won its second straight league championship by shutting out the Sunbirds 7-0.

Glory’s Brianna Smith threw four innings of shutout ball, including eight strikeouts and one hit. Glory scored four runs in the first inning and never looked back.