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Indiana coach steamed about Little League loss to West Side

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West Side little league baseball team defeated Indiana Wednesday, August 12, in regional semifinals to continue on in the Great Lakes Tournament.

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By Jay Morrison, Staff Writer Updated 6:54 AM Thursday, August 13, 2009

INDIANAPOLIS — The Hamilton West Side Little League team needed a win Wednesday night to advance to the Great Lakes Regional semifinals.

Indiana did not.

But you wouldn’t have known it by Indiana coach Rick Burton’s reaction afterward.

“To say I’m mad would be an understatement,” Burton said following his team’s 2-1 loss to West Side in the final pool-play game in Indianapolis.

“If we win, we get the No. 2 seed and get to play Kentucky, which is down to their sixth pitcher,” Burton continued. “But (West Side) out-hustled us, they out-pitched us, and they out-hit us, so now we have to play them again.

“They outplayed us today, and they’ll probably outplay us tomorrow.”

The coaches had a coin flip at home plate after the game, which Indiana won and elected to be the home team for today’s 4:30 p.m. semifinal.

No. 1 seed Illinois will face No. 4 Kentucky at 7:30 p.m. The winners will square off in an ESPN nationally television game at 7 p.m. Saturday.

Hurlin’ Hudson

Indiana leadoff hitter Devin Mann came into the game 9-for-10 in regional play, but West Side starting pitcher Joey Hudson retired him twice with runners on third base.

By getting Mann to pop out to Jake Zeek at first base in the fourth inning, Hudson escape a jam where Indiana had runners on first and third with one out.

“I had a little scare there,” Hudson said. “But we battled out of it.”

Mann would have had an 0-for-3 night against Hudson had it not been for a bad-hop single to lead off the game.

Home cooking

Jake Zeek’s parents brought the players a special treat from home Wednesday afternoon, a half-chocolate, half-vanilla cake iced with a good luck message.

The cake came courtesy of 76-year-old Ginny Miller, who lives next door to the Zeeks.

Another treat awaits today courtesy of Walt’s Barbeque.

“I’m bringing a bunch of brisket and cornbread,” said Kendra Smith, who is outfielder Jacob Stewart’s mother and the daughter of Walt’s Barbeque owner Walt Bohn.

No three-match

Ohio and Indiana have squared off in the Great Lakes Regional championship game each of the last two years, including 2007 when the West Side Little League team beat New Albanay, Ind., 6-1 to advance to the Little League World Series.

But that won’t happen this year because they’ll be meeting in the semifinals.

Illinois tradition

The team from Illinois is the No. 1 seed for the semifinals for the first time since the Great Lakes Regional was created. But the state is no stranger to regional titles.

The Central Region has been crowning champions since 1949, splitting into the Great Lakes and Midwest regions in 2001. Illinois and Indiana are tied for the most titles with 14 each, followed by Ohio (eight), Michigan (eight), Iowa (six), Minnesota (four), Kentucky (three) and Oklahoma (two).

Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2193 or jmorrison@coxohio.com.

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Boys you will remember this for the rest of your lives, play hard, have fun and remember you have already made our hometown so proud of you! leave everything out on the field, you will never have this chance again.

hamilton native
9:05 AM, 8/13/2009

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GO WEST SIDE HAMILTON !! WE ARE ALREADY PROUD OF YOU !!! BRING US BACK ANOTHER CHAMPIONSHIP !!! GOOD LUCK !!!

Bill
8:45 AM, 8/13/2009

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