West Side captures state championship

Game-opening home runs set pace in 7-2 win over North Canton.

Mesoraco's slam sends Reds over Braves
7:38 a.m.
Lost chances cost Cougars
5/25/12
Badin advances to regional final
5/25/12
West hopes to keep winning
5/25/12
Is third time the charm for senior?
5/25/12
> More sports headlines

Updated 1:10 AM Saturday, July 30, 2011

By Jay Morrison

Staff Writer

ENGLEWOOD — It there were any nerves in the Hamilton West Side dugout prior to Friday’s Little League state championship game, they were gone within two swings of the bat.

Jake Pennington and Shaun Brandenburg opened the game with back-to-back home runs, and pitchers Korren Thompson and Austin Broshear combined on a four-hitter to help West Side beat North Canton 7-2 at Centennial Park.

“It seems like I’ve always finished in second place in everything I coach,” West Side coach Josh Sams said. “To win a state championship, it feels like a monkey’s off my back.”

The state championship is the West Side program’s fifth at the U12 level in the last six years, with the only exception being Sams’ team in 2008. More importantly, the title sends West Side to the Great Lakes Regional in Indianapolis, where it will represent Ohio against the state champs from Kentucky, Michigan, Wisconsin, Indiana and Illinois with the winner advancing to the Little League World Series.

“What a great feeling,” Broshear said after throwing 2 1/3 innings of no-hit relief. “We’re all going to a pool party at Josh’s house to celebrate. Me and Jake will probably throw him in.”

As big as Pennington’s leadoff home run was, his second one might have been bigger. North Canton had just cut the lead to 2-1 in the bottom of the second, but Pennington got that run back immediately when he led off the third by drilling a windshield beyond the center field fence to make it 3-1.

“I was just trying to get some base hits so we could score some runs and win this,” Pennington said. “I think those home runs really got us up.”

North Canton, which beat West Side on a walk-off home run in the 11U state championship game last year, employed a patient approach against Thompson, and it nearly worked.

Thompson loaded the bases with no outs in the first inning, but he struck out the next three batters to escape trouble. He stranded two more in the second, but his pitch count already was at 59, 26 shy of the limit.

“They kept stepping out until the umpire finally told them to stop,” said Thompson, who struck out seven and walked five in 3 2/3 innings.

“I knew they were just taking, but I can’t let up when I throw,” Thompson continued. “I just had to hope I would eventually get in the groove.”

He did, and so did everyone else as nine different players either scored or drove in a run. Ryan Kellum, Alex Weller, Trevor Detherage and Broshear all had RBI singles.

Cameron Stapleton singled, walked and scored, and Vince Sanford walked and scored.

The Great Lakes Regional begins Friday, with West Side facing the Illinois state champ at 1 p.m. in its first of four pool games.

“Everyone’s excited,” Sams said. “It’s a great feeling.”

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

Journal-News.com

/sports

Share this article