HAMILTON — Braeden Sparks was proud of the type of fight his West Side Little League teammates showed when it mattered most Sunday night.
Even if it took an extra inning.
West Side got hits from 10 of its 12 players and scored two runs in the top of the seventh before holding on to a 7-5 victory over Boardman in the winner’s bracket of the Ohio Little League state tournament at West Side Little League.
“Hey, that was a tough battle — a really tough battle,” said Sparks, who plays center field when he isn’t pitching. “We battled hard. They battled hard, too.
“Everybody stepped up. Everybody made good plays. Everybody did their part. Everybody had a great game. They played their hardest, and we played our hardest.”
Eddie Frazier pitched four innings for West Side, giving up five hits, two earned runs, two walks, while striking out three.
West Side manager Ken Coomer said the team ultimately has all of its pitchers available for the winner’s bracket final on Tuesday at 8 p.m. at West Side Little League.
“My mindset now, after relief, is that we’re sitting a lot better,” Coomer said. “If we had gotten in that loser’s bracket, we would have been hurting.
“Boardman’s a good team,” Coomer added. “That was a tough win. They battled us. We kept fighting. The thing is that the small things are what won this game for us.”
Notable key plays that allowed West Side to sustain momentum — after Boardman tied it up 3-3 in the fourth — was a successful two-strike bunt by Alijah Holmes, Anthony Saurber’s infield bunt single down the first-base line and Zaylan Anderson’s full-count single. Anderson came around to score what turned out to be the eventual game-winning run.
“There wasn’t a home run. There wasn’t a big double,” Coomer said. “There wasn’t a base-clearing triple. It was smallball. Sometimes that’s what it takes.
“This game was a great thing to have for these kids. We ended up going through districts pretty easily competition-wise, and I think we needed this to see what kind of fight we had. We showed a lot of fight. I’m very proud of them.”
West Side outscored its three postseason opponents 53-3 before facing Boardman.
Braydon Caudill went 2 for 4 with an RBI to pace West Side. Frazier, Brady Quick and Jordan Malloy each had a hit and an RBI, while Preston Baker went 1 for 1 with three runs scored.
“We had a lot of toughness,” Sparks said. “You’ve got to be tough. You can’t be unfocused. You’ve got to be solid. You’ve just got to play your hardest when you’re out there right now.
“We’re playing great. But there’s always room for improvement. Everybody’s playing their hardest, and we’re all playing great.”
IN THE KNOW
This is the first time West Side Little League has hosted the state tournament since 2012. … Lucasville and Enon were eliminated from tournament play on Sunday. … Galion had a game-winning hit to beat North Canton 4-3 in the other winner’s bracket contest.
Ohio Little League State Tournament
At West Side Little League
Saturday, July 20
Game 1 — West Side 13, New Albany 2
Game 2 — Boardman 6, Lucasville 2
Game 3 — Galion 15, Cuyahoga Falls 5
Game 4 — North Canton 14, Enon 4
Sunday, July 21
Game 5 — West Side 7, Boardman 5
Game 6 — Galion 4, North Canton 3
Game 7 — New Albany 17, Lucasville 2
Game 8 — Cuyahoga Falls 5, Enon 0
Monday, July 22
Game 9 — North Canton vs. New Albany, 8 p.m.
Game 10 — Boardman vs. Cuyahoga Falls, 6 p.m.
Tuesday, July 23
Game 11 — West Side vs. Galion, 8 p.m.
Game 12 — Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner, 6 p.m.
Wednesday, July 24
Game 13 — Game 11 loser vs. Game 12 winner, 7 p.m.
Thursday, July 25
State Championship Game — Game 11 winner vs. Game 13 winner, 7 p.m.
Friday, July 26
If Necessary Game, 7 p.m.
