Page 8 June 22, 2017 EL SEGUNDO HERALD Babe Ruth from page 5 Seals head coach John Brasher has been around baseball all his life and was a standout in high school and college. His knowledge of the game is as good as any around, but even he admitted that his team would have to play flawlessly against the Beavers to have a chance. The Seals had a rough go to start the season. When Nate Kehl returned midway through the year after a devastating injury that caused him to miss an entire high school season, the Seals jelled into a contender. Perhaps the momentum that pushed the Seals into the playoffs and win the third round came against the Beavers. Johnny McGonegle singled off Dornbalser and later scored to help ignite an 8-5 Seals victory over the Beavers. When you add Kehl to a lineup that featured Nick Villa, Aiden Mc Roberts, Jacob Brockman and top 13-year-old James Pearson, you get the idea that the Seals could compete. Coach Dornblaser sent Justin Trotter to the mound to start the game. He got the first two hitters to hit fly balls, but then struggled. Mc Roberts singled and then Brockman and Pearson walked to load the bases. Trotter got out of the jam with a strikeout to end the threat. The Seals started Mc Roberts, one of the top pitchers on the frosh/soph team. The Beavers took advantage of an error when Cameron Dornblaser reached on an errant throw. He would later score on Tom Grant’s RBI single to give the Beavers a 1-0 lead. In the second inning, Wyatt Coulter singled with one out but was left stranded at second base. Mc Roberts set the Beavers down in order, including getting two strikeouts. In the third inning Villa singled sharply to right field, was sacrificed to second base on a perfectly executed bunt by Kehl and scored on Mc Robert’s RBI single to centerfield to tie the game at 1-1. The Beavers countered with three runs on four hits and a hit batter. Ian Michel, Rodriquez and Tom Grant singled. Snelgrove was hit by a pitch to make it 2-1 and Eddie Grant’s two-run single made it 4-1. Tom Grant came in relief for the Beavers in the fourth inning. The hard-throwing righthander didn’t intimidate Sebastian Brockman, who hit a ball in the hole between the third baseman and shortstop for a single. Grant got Villa to fly out to end the inning. The Beavers threatened in their half of the inning when Nathan Pascerelli was hit by a pitch and Rodriquez singled. Mc Roberts then shut the door and the Beavers came away empty. In the fifth inning the Seals didn’t do much, but the Beavers threatened to run away with the game. Though they scored just one run, it could have been much worse. Tom Grant doubled, and Snelgrove and Slavens each drew walks. Grant attempted to score when the Seals were lulled into a precarious position. But catcher Nick Villa made a miraculous play at the plate and after the dust settled, Grant was called out. Snelgrove wound up scoring on an infield error to make it 5-1. In the sixth inning, Jonathon Galigan was hit by a fastball. He moved to second base when Nelson Taback laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt. He later scored on Wyatt Coulter’s ground ball to make it 5-2. Mc Roberts got the Beavers in order, including getting his eighth strikeout. In the seventh inning Kehl legged out an infield single with two outs, but the Seals would come up short and the Beavers would celebrate their second consecutive league championship. Justin Trotter picked up the win, going three innings and giving up one run on five hits while striking out three. Tommy Grant pitched the final four innings and gave up one run and one hit while striking out three. The Beavers had just six hits, but Grant and Rodriquez each had two. The Seals’ Mc Roberts took the loss, going six innings. He gave up five runs (three earned) on six hits and he struck out seven. He also had two hits and an RBI. Wyatt Coulter went one for three with an RBI, but could easily have been three for three had it not been for the defense of Beavers’ second baseman Eddie Grant who made two great plays on Coulter. So with another season tucked away, the all-star teams have been announced. The teams will start playing their tournaments the second week of July. • Aiden Mc Roberts was the ace of the Seals staff and pitched in the final. Julian Rodriquez had two hits for the Beavers. Justin Trotter started on the mound, but finished up at third base for the Beavers. Eddie Grant’s defense cost the Seals three base hits. Through the dust, the Seals’ Nick Villa tags out a sliding Tommy Grant at home plate. Nate Kehl perfectly executed sacrifice bunt in the third inning led to a run.
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