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ORWALL American one win from title
  
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By MIKE TAYLOR
SPRING — ORWALL American advanced to within a victory of the District 28 Little League Tournament title with a 5-3 comeback win over ORWALL National Wednesday night at ORWALL.
Brandon Barnett capped a four-run fifth-inning rally with a two-run double for the Oak Ridge Woodlands Area Little League American All-Stars, who can win the championship Monday and advance to the Texas East Section 2 Tournament in Bridge City.
In a battle of the two all-star teams from ORWALL, the National squad controlled the game well into the fifth inning.
After being staked to a 2-0 lead, National starting pitcher Chandler Morris gave up a leadoff home run to Andrew Burke in the bottom of the first. But Morris dominated the American lineup from that point forward, striking out eight while allowing only one more hit and two walks through the fourth.
In the bottom of the fifth, though, American’s Connor Ervin led off with a single to short. Morris struck out the next batter on three pitches, but Burke chopped a single over third base and alertly moved up to second to put American in business.
Morris intentionally walked Connor Weaverling before he was lifted, having reached the 85-pitch limit.
After a strikeout, Matt Jennings tied the game 3-3 with a single to center field. Barnett then drilled a double off the center-field fence to score the winning runs.
“He’s probably one of the premier pitchers in Little League,” American manager Norman Smith said of Morris. “I figured if we could get by him, we had a good chance. We fought and battled. Every kid put effort on the field today. The National League’s a great team, and I’m sure we’ll see them Monday.”
For that rematch to happen, the National All-Stars will have to beat Tomball in an elimination game Thursday at 7 p.m. at ORWALL. On Wednesday, Tomball eliminated Montgomery with a 12-0 run-rule victory in four innings.
Whichever team advances to play Monday night will have to beat ORWALL American twice to claim the District 28 title. A potential winner-take-all game in the double-elimination tournament would be played Tuesday.
“I expect them to come back fighting tooth and nail,” Smith said. “It’s going to be a tough battle Monday and if we have to play Tuesday, we’ll be ready to play Tuesday.”
Despite having only one hit, ORWALL National led 3-1 going into the bottom of the fifth.
“They’re a great team,” National manager John Morris said. “We knew that. They’re a very good team. They came ready to play. We were ready to play. We led the whole game up until the bottom of the fifth. It was our game.”
National scored three runs in the first two innings on its lone hit, three walks and two hit batsmen.
In the first, Cade McKenzie scored on an error after being hit by a pitch with one out. He stole second, advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on the same play when the throw to third from the catcher skipped into left field.
Andrew Bourque, who had drawn a walk on the wild pitch, moved to third on the error and scored on Justin Cassio’s sacrifice fly to left to make it 2-0.
In the top of the second, Caleb Lopez led off with a double to right-center. After a hit batter and intentional walk to Morris, he scored on a bases-loaded two-out walk to McKenzie. But American starter Weaverling got a fly out to left escape further damage.
“We were ready for them, it just came down to a couple hits on their side,” John Morris said. “We had the bases loaded early in the game and we should have busted it open. We didn’t. We just didn’t get any breaks tonight.”
Burke, whose home run in the first kept American in the game, also got the win on the mound, throwing two innings of no-hit relief and retiring the side in order in the sixth to clinch the victory.
“Our whole game plan was to get Chandler out of the game,” Smith said. “If we could get him out of the game with 85 pitches, we thought we had a chance. Before that, it was just a tough, hard-fought game.”
Box Score
American 5, National 3
National 210 000 — 3 1 0
American 100 04X — 5 6 1
WP: Andrew Burke (2 IP, 2 K, HB)
Leaders — National: Cade McKenzie, 0-1, RBI, R, BB, HBP, SB; Justin Cassio, 0-1, RBI, HBP; Caleb Lopez, 1-3, 2B, R; Andrew Bourque, 0-2, R, BB; Bryce Huskey, 0-2, HBP, SB; Chandler Morris, 0-2, IBB. American: Brandon Barnett, 1-2, 2B, 2 RBI; Matt Jennings, 1-3, 2 RBI, R; Burke, 2-3, HR, 2 R; Connor Ervin, 1-2, R; Taylor Jackson, 0-1, R; Marcos Mora, 1-3; Connor Weaverling, 0-1, IBB, BB, SB; Riley McKnight, 0-1, BB, SB.
Brandon Barnett capped a four-run fifth-inning rally with a two-run double for the Oak Ridge Woodlands Area Little League American All-Stars, who can win the championship Monday and advance to the Texas East Section 2 Tournament in Bridge City.
In a battle of the two all-star teams from ORWALL, the National squad controlled the game well into the fifth inning.
After being staked to a 2-0 lead, National starting pitcher Chandler Morris gave up a leadoff home run to Andrew Burke in the bottom of the first. But Morris dominated the American lineup from that point forward, striking out eight while allowing only one more hit and two walks through the fourth.
In the bottom of the fifth, though, American’s Connor Ervin led off with a single to short. Morris struck out the next batter on three pitches, but Burke chopped a single over third base and alertly moved up to second to put American in business.
Morris intentionally walked Connor Weaverling before he was lifted, having reached the 85-pitch limit.
After a strikeout, Matt Jennings tied the game 3-3 with a single to center field. Barnett then drilled a double off the center-field fence to score the winning runs.
“He’s probably one of the premier pitchers in Little League,” American manager Norman Smith said of Morris. “I figured if we could get by him, we had a good chance. We fought and battled. Every kid put effort on the field today. The National League’s a great team, and I’m sure we’ll see them Monday.”
For that rematch to happen, the National All-Stars will have to beat Tomball in an elimination game Thursday at 7 p.m. at ORWALL. On Wednesday, Tomball eliminated Montgomery with a 12-0 run-rule victory in four innings.
Whichever team advances to play Monday night will have to beat ORWALL American twice to claim the District 28 title. A potential winner-take-all game in the double-elimination tournament would be played Tuesday.
“I expect them to come back fighting tooth and nail,” Smith said. “It’s going to be a tough battle Monday and if we have to play Tuesday, we’ll be ready to play Tuesday.”
Despite having only one hit, ORWALL National led 3-1 going into the bottom of the fifth.
“They’re a great team,” National manager John Morris said. “We knew that. They’re a very good team. They came ready to play. We were ready to play. We led the whole game up until the bottom of the fifth. It was our game.”
National scored three runs in the first two innings on its lone hit, three walks and two hit batsmen.
In the first, Cade McKenzie scored on an error after being hit by a pitch with one out. He stole second, advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on the same play when the throw to third from the catcher skipped into left field.
Andrew Bourque, who had drawn a walk on the wild pitch, moved to third on the error and scored on Justin Cassio’s sacrifice fly to left to make it 2-0.
In the top of the second, Caleb Lopez led off with a double to right-center. After a hit batter and intentional walk to Morris, he scored on a bases-loaded two-out walk to McKenzie. But American starter Weaverling got a fly out to left escape further damage.
“We were ready for them, it just came down to a couple hits on their side,” John Morris said. “We had the bases loaded early in the game and we should have busted it open. We didn’t. We just didn’t get any breaks tonight.”
Burke, whose home run in the first kept American in the game, also got the win on the mound, throwing two innings of no-hit relief and retiring the side in order in the sixth to clinch the victory.
“Our whole game plan was to get Chandler out of the game,” Smith said. “If we could get him out of the game with 85 pitches, we thought we had a chance. Before that, it was just a tough, hard-fought game.”
Box Score
American 5, National 3
National 210 000 — 3 1 0
American 100 04X — 5 6 1
WP: Andrew Burke (2 IP, 2 K, HB)
Leaders — National: Cade McKenzie, 0-1, RBI, R, BB, HBP, SB; Justin Cassio, 0-1, RBI, HBP; Caleb Lopez, 1-3, 2B, R; Andrew Bourque, 0-2, R, BB; Bryce Huskey, 0-2, HBP, SB; Chandler Morris, 0-2, IBB. American: Brandon Barnett, 1-2, 2B, 2 RBI; Matt Jennings, 1-3, 2 RBI, R; Burke, 2-3, HR, 2 R; Connor Ervin, 1-2, R; Taylor Jackson, 0-1, R; Marcos Mora, 1-3; Connor Weaverling, 0-1, IBB, BB, SB; Riley McKnight, 0-1, BB, SB.
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