West Seattle's 10-11 all-star team defended its Little League District 7 championship by beating a game Rainier (Beach) District squad, 14-7. But the score was close, 8-7, entering the westside team's game-changing top of six, where runs galore were scored to finish off the foe at Bar S Fields Thursday.

CLICK THE IMAGE ABOVE TO SEE MORE PHOTOS FROM THE GAME

"It was a great game," said John Page, West Seattle's manager. "We came out here a couple weeks ago with eight returning players from last year's District 7 tournament championship team and they knew how hard it was going to be. And they stayed focused, played well and beat a very good Rainier team."
Indeed.

Both teams played back-and-forth ball the first five innings of completed baseball, with West Seattle ahead by only one run, 8-7, at that late stage in the game. But dig deeper, go just a half inning earlier to the Rainier top of five and it was West Seattle leading, 8-5.

That's where, at the top of the fifth inning, the score tied, 5-5, up to then, where the West Seattle fans showed noisy support all game long, shouting a traditional chant of their teams' during the game. And it was a good number of the westside fans filling the two stands on their side of the field, using noisemakers. One fan even used a cone-shaped instrument to amplify his voice. And West Seattle's fans were not just in the stands but amorphously standing all around the stands, too.

All were shouting, with rhythmic claps in between words two and three...
"We are (pause) Westside," they cheered. "We are (pause) Westside."

Rainier's fans, a few of them shouted back, "Southside. Southside," one time during West Seattle's chant.

So, this game was anxies ty-filled and, as one West Seattle fan said at the start of the tied 5-5 fifth, "You can feel the tension. Good game."
Starting West Seattle'top of five Matt Deitz, one of the eight returners along with Thomas Sobatta, Jack Page, Anthony Goss, Ethen Chen, Grayson O'Neil, Anthony Coats, Jacob Terao, drew a walk. After rightfield fly out, Coats reached base by a second base fielding error and the runners advanced to second and third on a passed ball. Chen went out to shortstop, hitting the ball hard, but the ball was snagged. O'Neil then hit the ball hard to the Rainier second baseman and the ball was not fielded cleanly, hitting the infielder's glove and bouncing off. Then a hurried throw to first base, too hard thrown, was dropped, and, as this action happened, West Seattle had two runners touch home plate, 7-5.

Then Terao added to the run-scoring mix, slapping the ball opposite field, into the rightfield corner, 8-5.
So then came Rainier hitting the ball hard in the bottom of the fifth to score two runs on threee hits, gettting within one, before West Seattle took to the plate in the top of the sixth to the chanting from fans-the wrongside fans getting in their cheering say...
"Who are we," shouted one Rainier fan to this side and the others answered, "Rainier!"
"Fans were great," said Page.

Well, maybe these West Seattle all star players knew that great, tasty treats awaited them after the game -- sprinkled donuts, fudge brownies, cupcakes with individual player numbers on flags, and, don't forget the Krispy Kremes (two boxes). And, they knew of these treats, perhaps, and wanted to earn their sweets.
Anyway, West Seattle winning this game spoiled Rainier's bid to beat West Seattle this first time to set up an if-necessary championship game since West Seattle was the winner's bracket team and Rainier came through the loser's bracket, having just beat National, 10-9, to get here.

Sobotta pitched well and did it against great-hitting Rainier from one out into the fourth until the game's remainder, was up first and he started things off, smacking the ball hard, almost over the fence, dropping just in front.
It wasn't perfect pitching, since he allowed two runs but just about with that kind of heavy-hitting line-up that knocked the cover off the ball playing a couple games, scoring 21 runs one game. It was really good, put in perspective...
With two runners on, following Rainier's back-t0-back RBI singles making it 8-7 in the bottom of the fifth and with two runners on base-second and third, Sobotta was then pitching against the Rainier manager's son who had an RBI single in his first at bat and a double his second. Going to a full count, Sobotta put the ball right where he needed. Low, outside corner. Strike three! Inning was over and so was Rainier's scary momentum.

It must have been some good junk to curve that ball to the outside, lower corner, as many managers of kids, even young as 10, 11 years old, teach their kids? By the way, the only safe curve for a young kid to throw is by throwing the ball overhand but some still throw a sideways delivery that has proven hurtful to players arms when they hit 14 and 15 years old. Throwing sideways curves often results in a need for "Tommy John" tendon surgery. And, the player usually does not play ball effectively after that either, not even to high school.
Kids should not throw curves, experts say, until they are at least 12 years old. But that is another story, and Sobotta threw what pitch to get that manager's son struck out?

"Just a fastball," said Sobotta, nonchalantly.
It was all about the location of a fastball. And, how does Sobotta pitch so well against a team as good at hitting as Rainier was in this tournament?

"My arm felt good. I was confident," said Sobotta.
Sobotta, one of the smaller players on the field, while he pitched did face a lot of bigger Rainier hitters, and he not only pitched solid, including good relief work in the victory before said the manager, Page, but Sobotta also hit well at a key time.
"I remember hitting the double," said Sobotta with not much else to say about it, just smiling, shrugging his shoulders below his reddish-brown, short-cut hair. "I hit the ball."

That Sobotta did, and Page drew a walk next, putting runners at first and second base and then second and third after a wild pitch thrown to the backstop by Rainier's pitcher. Deitz walked and the bases were loaded for Jackson Chilcott to come to the plate and power a single up the middle and make it 9-7. After a fly out by Coats, who did a good job as the starting pitcher against this group of Rainier solid hitters, a group that came back their game before -- in the loser bracket final -- against National from being 9-6 down to win it in the bottom of the sixth, 10-9. Next hitting was O'Neil and he knew just where and how to hit it, to left center field, over the outstretched mitt of the left fielder, rolling to the fence, scoring two run to make it 11-7. Mostly errors made for the final three runs, including two runs forced in by walks of the bases loaded and another from Sobotta's hard hit to first going under the first baseman's glove. Final, 14-7.

In the top of the first inning, going back some in this game, to the beginning, Rainier scored two runs, leading 2-0 after the bottom of the first. Then West Seattle scored three runs in the first off two hits. Coats singled starting off, then O'Neil and Goss drew walks and scored on passed balls and Sobotta got the first RBI of the game for his team, making it 3-2, West Seattle. Rainier scored a run in the bottom of the second and tied it, 3-3. Rainier kept scoring this inning and led, 5-3. Coats pitched strong in the end of this inning like Sobotta did getting the Rainier manager's son out when he took over in relief in this game. Coats, with runners on second and third, induced the next batter to hit it to him for a 1-3 pitcher to first base put-out. End of threat, end of inning for Rainier.

"Anthony has been our No. 1 starter since day one," said manager Page. "He does a great job for us."
So, behind 5-3, West Seattle scored two runs in their top of the fourth inning as Terao's RBI triple was the big hit, scoring Tim Roach, who walked, starting this inning. Score was 5-4. And then after Jackson Oehling drew a walk, it was Sobotta with a sacrifice grounder, scoring Roach to tie it, 5-5.

Going to the current point of where things stand, the West Seattle 10-11 year old all stars now go to Yakima for the 10-11 year old state all stars tournament starting July 17th. And, the West Seattle manager's, son, Jack, said things best for this next phase -- state-- where this team hopes to do better representing District 7 than last year against other districts that are from Mount Vernon to Richland to Vancouver, Wash. and all over, 10 districts total.

"Last year we were 0-2," said the manager, Page. "We have a lot of returning players and more experience and hope to do a lot better this year."

And, before we go, what did little Page say?
"Yea, Yakima, the Palm Springs of Washington," he said.

Yeah, it ain't Disneyland, but for these kids they get to match skills against best age group players all over Washington State and that is quite a thrill, not to mention being an all star is quite an honor.
"These next two weeks are a lot of fun for the boys," said manager Page.