"We'll go after it tomorrow," said Steel Lake Minors manager Ken Allen. "And then we can see these guys again."

Steel Lake was hoping to play Kent for the championship after press time Saturday if it won the games before that. After all, the final score may have been a seven-run difference, but the game was a little closer than that.

Kent got on the board in the top of the third inning, with a home run hit over the center field fence to make it 1-0. Then, in the top of the fourth, Kent scored three runs on a batting sequence of a leadoff walk followed by a single into center field and a walk to load the bases. Then another walk forced in a run to make it 2-0 Kent.

'That was one of Kent's better hitters that walked," said Allen.

Kent scored another run off an error in the outfield, misjudging a hit by a Kent batter. Then the next batter got an RBI single to make it 4-0 after the fourth.

Steel Lake then scored a run in the bottom half of the fourth. After Gabe Togia, who did a fine job blocking balls at catcher all game long, was hit by a pitch. Steel Lake pitcher Alex Sommerfield reached base by an error. Then Tyson Sonnenfeld showed he could swing the bat and hit an RBI single off the Kent pitcher, who threw one batter short of a complete game before his pitch count was the legal limit of 75 and Little League rules said he needed to be replaced. Little League is very careful about pitchers' arms.

So, it was Kent's turn again in the top of fifth, a 4-1 score now, and a double leadoff, a RBI single made it 5-1. Then, in the top of the sixth, Kent scored four runs on four hits to lead 9-1.

Steel Lake showed a little fight then with a run scored on a walk after Steel Lake had loaded the bases with walks. A run was forced in with another walk by the new Kent pitcher, replacing Jordan Jones, who threw a three-hitter, with all of the hits close plays at first base with ties going to the runner on two occasions.

"Kent is a solid team," said Allen.

Sommerfield agreed, in so many words, saying what was hardest about pitching against a traditionally strong team like Kent.

'Trying to get them out," said Sommerfield.

"Their pitcher pitched a good game," said Allen. "He threw a little harder than we were used to seeing." Steel Lake did hit the ball though. It only had a literal handful of strikeouts for the game and there are 18 outs in a game of six innings, with three outs a side each inning.

Steel Lake did commit one error in allowing a run in with walks, plus the leadoff walk in the fourth that got them off and running. Plus the error in the outfield right after a single hurt Sommerfield, too. He was hurt by himself and his team in that inning. And, against a team coached and talented like Kent, that is going to hurt.

"We had a couple errors, you can't give Kent more than 18 outs," said Allen.

Allen did commend the Kent pitcher, but he also commended his own.

"Alex kept the ball down for us and did a good job out there," said Allen.

Kent had 13 hits and Steel Lake three. Kent left 11 runners on base, but Steel Lake was competing well in that department, leaving nine of their own.

"Guys needed to be a little more aggressive on a couple of plays," said Allen, speaking of his base runners. "We left a lot of guys on base."

Kent is good, as Sommerfield aptly put it. And, hopefully, if Steel Lake fought through a couple loser bracket games played Thursday and Friday last week, they can avenge what happened to them last year.

"We played them last year," said Sommerfield, who was on this Minors all-star team last year, too. "We lost to them twice."

Tough team, but you can change the table this time, right?

"I hope, " said Sommerfield.