WHITESTOWN, Ind. — West Side Little League didn’t allow an early deficit to linger in its first game on the regional stage.
After Michigan pushed across two runs in the opening inning, the Ohio champions answered with a six-run third and pulled away for a 10-4 victory over Greater Bay Little League on Saturday, Aug. 8, in the opening round of the Great Lakes Region Tournament at the Little League Central Complex.
West Side advances to face Jasper National (Indiana) on Sunday, Aug. 9, at 4:30 p.m. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.
“Getting that under our belt, we feel like we can hit and we feel like our pitchers can throw,” West Side manager Tim Nichting said. “We kind of saw that today. We swing the bat pretty well.”
Greater Bay struck immediately against West Side starter Josiah Infante, scoring twice in the bottom of the first. A bases-loaded walk and a sacrifice fly gave Michigan a 2-0 advantage.
Infante settled in from there.
The right-hander — who consistently pipes 70 mph — struck out seven over 2 2/3 innings, allowing two hits and two runs while walking two. Nichting elected to go to his bullpen with West Side comfortably ahead and Infante having recovered from the difficult opening inning.
“The biggest thing about Infante is he’s worked really hard at practice at both hitting and pitching,” Nichting said. “A little tough first inning, but he stayed together. He got it together.”
Infante said changing his approach helped him find a rhythm.
“I mixed my pitches around,” Infante said. “Not just starting with a fastball right down the middle. I mixed them up.”
West Side’s offense rewarded him with a decisive third inning.
The Ohio champions sent six runs across while capitalizing on Michigan mistakes and consistently put the ball in play. A dropped third strike brought home the first run before Leo Feltner and Bryson Williams delivered RBI singles.
Bobby Frazier followed with a two-run single, and Jack McAdams drove home another run on a groundout as West Side turned a 2-0 deficit into a commanding 7-2 lead.
West Side’s speed also created problems throughout the inning.
“My team speed with some of these guys is crazy,” Nichting said. “They can really run.”
Williams took over on the mound and kept Greater Bay from mounting a comeback. He worked three scoreless innings in relief, scattering three hits while striking out two without issuing a walk.
West Side finished with 10 hits, played error-free defense and put the game away in the sixth.
Xander Kinkade launched a two-run homer to center field, extending West Side’s cushion before Walker Osborne added an RBI single. Kinkade and Walker each finished with two hits and two RBIs, while Frazier also drove in two.
Nichting said Kinkade’s homer provided an important response after West Side had missed an opportunity to add to its lead an inning earlier.
“We needed to get a run or two there and really put our foot down,” Nichting said. “Kinkade, to do that, just kind of said, ‘Yeah, you can’t get too many runs.’ That was fun to see.”
Kinkade said West Side’s focus quickly shifted from celebrating its regional-opening victory to preparing for Indiana.
“We really just need to focus,” Kinkade said. “Really focus in the dugout. That’s where it all starts — and our sleep schedule.”
Great Lakes Region
At Whitestown, Ind.
Saturday, Aug. 8
Game 1 — West Side 10, Michigan 4
Game 2 — Illinois vs. Kentucky, 7 p.m., ESPN+
Sunday, Aug. 9
Game 3 — Indiana vs. West Side, 4:30 p.m., ESPN+
Game 4 — Michigan vs. Game 2 Loser, 7 p.m., ESPN+
Monday, Aug. 10
Game 5 — Game 4 Winner vs. Game 3 Loser, 1 p.m., ESPN+
Game 6 — Game 2 Winner vs. Game 3 Winner, 7 p.m., ESPN+
Tuesday, Aug. 11
Game 7 — Game 5 Winner vs. Game 6 Loser, 1 p.m., ESPN+
Wednesday, Aug. 12
Championship Game — Game 6 Winner vs. Game 7 Winner, 7 p.m., ESPN2
