West Side falls in Great Lakes championship game

All Stars drop 3-0 decision to team from La Grange, Ky.

Photos: West Side Little League

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

By Jay Morrison, Staff Writer Updated 10:22 PM Saturday, August 13, 2011

INDIANAPOLIS – The Hamilton West Side All-Stars made countless memories this summer, but unfortunately the one that’s likely to stick with them the longest is the image of La Grange, Ky., pitcher Griffin McLarty staring in at them.

The lanky, 6-foot right-hander threw the game of his life Saturday in the Great Lakes Regional championship game in Indianapolis, retiring 18 of the 19 batters he faced to blank West Side 3-0 and earn North Oldham Little League its first-ever trip to the Little League World Series.

“As tough as it is, sometimes you just have to tip your hat to the kid on the mound because he was outstanding,” West Side coach Josh Sams said of McLarty, who retired 12 in a row after surrendering a two-out single to Korren Thompson in the second inning.

“He had everything working,” Sams continued. “I don’t know if there’s too many teams that could have beat that kid today.”

McLarty struck out 13 and didn’t issue a walk, wrapping up the gem in an efficient 66 pitches.

“I hit my spots well, had good speed and got my off-speed working the couple of times I used it,” McLarty said. “I was wheelin’ and dealin’.”

The shutout extended Kentucky’s string of consecutive scoreless innings in the regional tournament to 20. McLarty didn’t allow a run in four regional appearances, throwing 14 2/3 innings while allowing just five hits with 30 strikeouts and three walks.

“That was the best pitcher a lot of us have ever seen,” West Side catcher Alex Weller said. “He hit his spots like no other. He just threw an awesome game. We couldn’t touch him.”

McLarty also launched what was estimated to be a 300-foot solo home run to give Kentucky a 3-0 lead in the top of the fifth inning.

Thompson and Jake Pennington pitched well for West Side, combining for 10 strikeouts while limiting Kentucky to five hits, its lowest total of the postseason. And the three runs Kentucky scored equaled the team’s lowest output since it scored just one in its district tournament opener.

West Side went 11-3 in the postseason, falling one game short of its goal.

“It’s been fun,” Vince Sanford said as he was leaving the field. “I wish we would’ve went to Williamsport, but we’re proud we got this far. We had a good run.”

Sams said even if West Side had made it to the World Series, he wouldn’t have been any more proud of the 13 players he spent most of his summer with.

“We came up short, but in the end they came out winners because they fought and got farther than anybody expected them to get,” he said. “I’m very proud of every one of them. They put that Hamilton jersey on, and they represented us very well.”

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

Share this article