VFW vs. Hobie
By Jennifer Sweet, Special to the Independent
VFW kept their bid for first place alive Friday, April 29, by defeating Hobie 4-3.
VFW took the early lead with two runs in the first when Cole Paxon hit a single and stole second and then Jack Dickenson hit a home run. Judge Washer was pitching for Hobie and held VFW with six strike outs until the fourth inning when Paxon hit a double to bring in Billy Howie and Jack Loechner got on base with a single and came home on the tag after Dickenson hit a sacrifice fly to center. The score was now 4-0.
Paxon pitched a no-hitter for VFW until the fifth inning when Will Ross and Zack Washer walked and Jeffery Bruyntjens hit a home run. VFW’s Brandon Marquez at second and Dean Nunis at third made great plays to first to end the inning. Blake Burzell came in to pitch for Hobie in the fifth and kept VFW from scoring with two strike outs.
Hobie was up in the sixth. Schreyer and Onodera, the tying and winning runs, were on base with two outs. Paxon exhausted his pitch count and was relieved by Loechner. Loechner pitched one pitch to Colton Bryant who hit a fly to right field. Bryce Campanelli made the game saving catch for VFW to end the game.
Sweet is the Little League commissioner.
