An big early lead helped West Central 16U to a win over the Tea Bolts at home on Tuesday, July 12th. West Central scored 11 runs in the first two innings to secure a 15-10 victory.
Jesse Jost scored on a wild pitch and Landen Holewa scored on a passed ball in the bottom of the first for a 2-0 lead. Tea tied the game with two runs in the top of the second, but West Central responded with a big bottom of the second inning. Carter Evans and B Herr had back-to-back RBI singles. Jost drove home two with a double. Holewa followed with a two-run single. Holewa then scored on a passed ball. Maison Schuldt had an RBI double, and Cain Grocott added an RBI single to give West Central an 11-2 lead.
West Central got another run in the bottom of the third to make it a 12-2 score. Tea tried to put together a comeback as they scored four times in the top of the fourth. West Central got one run back in the bottom of the inning. The Bolts added another run in the top of the fifth and two more in the top of the sixth to make the score 13-9. West Central pushed the lead back to six runs with two in the bottom of the sixth. Evans had an RBI ground out, and Cyrus Maras had an RBI sacrifice bunt. Tea got just one run in the top of the seventh.
Grocott had three hits, including a double, and an RBI. Jost finished with two hits, one a double, and three RBIs. Holewa had a triple and two RBIs. Evans had a single and two RBIs. Schuldt finished with a double and an RBI. Keaton Vessells and Herr both had a single and an RBI.
Will Nester pitched four innings and allowed six runs, three earned, on seven hits and three walks with a strikeout. Cade Vanderwoude pitched two innings and allowed an earned run on a hit and a walk with three strikeouts. Jost pitched one inning and allowed three runs, two earned, on two hits and five walks with three strikeouts.