West Side Little League wins Great Lakes Region opener

WHITESTOWN, Ind. — Cash Jones tossed a one-hitter with four strikouts in five innings of work, and West Side Little League shut out Lexington Eastern (Ky.) 7-0 in a Great Lakes Region opener on Saturday at the Little League Central Region Complex in Whitestown, Indiana.

Gavyn Spears (1-for-2, run, RBI), Jonathan Lineback (1-for-1, run, walk), TJ Madden (1-for-1, double, RBI, walk), Jordan Malloy (walk, two runs) Preston Baker (RBI, walk) and Lennox Brown (run, walk) led West Side offensively.

West Side will face Michigan (Negaunee) at 4 p.m. on Sunday. West Side (7-0) was the home team on Saturday for the first time this entire postseason.

Game Summary

Top 1 | West Side 0, Lexington Eastern 0

First pitch line drive catch by Preston Baker at third. Jones catches outside corner on 3-2 pitch for strikeout and out two. Jones strikes out third hitter. 1-2-3 inning for West Side defense.

Bottom 1 | West Side 2, Lexington Eastern 0

Four straight balls by Eastern pitcher Banks Denton. Anthony Saurber walks. Jordan Malloy grounds into a fielder’s choice. Saurber out at second for the first out. … TJ Madden walks to put runners on second and third with one out. … Preston Baker chopper (he thought hit his foot) allows Malloy and Madden to score on the out at first when the throw home went to the backstop. Play challenged by Eastern that the ball hit Baker on the swing, but call stays.

Top 2 | West Side 2, Lexington Eastern 0

Jones strikeout. Madden catch in center. Pop out to Boone Treadway at second. 1-2-3 again for Jones.

Bottom 2 | West Side 6, Lexington Eastern 0

Jonathan Lineback walks to start the bottom of the second. Teegan Lay walk puts runners at second and first. Spears with a 2-RBI double, and West Side takes 4-0 lead. West Side grabs two more runs to make it 6-0.

Top 3 | West Side 6, Lexington Eastern 0

Walk. Strikeout. Walk. Saurber picks off Eastern runner at second. Hit by pitch. Fly out to Brown in right to end Eastern’s biggest threat. Jones still throwing a no-hitter.

Bottom 3 | West Side 7, Lexington Eastern 0

TJ Madden’s double off the center field wall scores Malloy to make it 7-0.

Top 4 | West Side 7, Lexington Eastern 0

Jones surrenders a walk, but retires the next three batters. Jones still has a no-hitter with 56 pitches through his four innings of work.

Bottom 4 | West Side 7, Lexington Eastern 0

Treadway walk, and that’s it for West Side this inning.

Top 5 | West Side 7, Lexington Eastern 0

Denton with Eastern’s first hit, but West Side rolls a double play to end the inning.

Bottom 5 | West Side 7, Lexington Eastern 0

Oakley Turner single. But that was it for West Side at the plate.

Top 6 | West Side 7, Lexington Eastern 0

Cash Jones ends the day with a one-hitter, three walks, four strikeouts. Preston Baker came in for relief to finish it off in the top of the sixth.

About Kentucky

Kentucky is represented by Lexington Eastern, which beat Bowling Green East 2-1 in the state championship game. … This is only the fourth time in Eastern Little League history that a 12U team has earned a state title and advanced to regionals. … Eastern reached the regional tournament in 1953, 2017 and 2023.

In the know

West Side captured its 40th consecutive district championship, now holds 22 state titles and has made trips to the Little League World Series in 1991, 1993, 2007, 2010, and 2021.

The Little League World Series is Aug. 13-24 in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.