In a reprise of last year’s title game, Beacon Hill and Layritz will do battle in the final of the District 7 Little League Championship. Game time is 1 p.m. today at Hampton Park. The winner moves onto the provincial tournament for 11- and 12-year-olds, July 20-28 in Vancouver.
In Saturday’s semifinals, Layritz edged Lakehill 9-7, and Beacon Hill defeated Hampton/National 18-5.
Lakehill was fielding a full team — rather than combining with another league — in the championship for the first time in nearly a decade, and their gritty effort proved to be quite a handful for favoured Layritz.
“They played their hearts out,” Layritz coach Dave Murdoch said, giving full kudos to Lakehill for rebuilding their team and their program. “They could have won that game. Our guys have got to be a lot sharper tomorrow.”
Down 5-2 in the third inning, Lakehill rallied with two runs to get within reach, but Layritz responded with four counters in the fourth, stretching their lead to 9-4. Pitcher/centre-fielder Luke Seginovich held a hot bat for Layritz, pounding a two-run homer in the first inning. He finished the game with five RBIs.
Lakehill kept chipping away at the deficit and closed the gap to 9-7 in the bottom of the fourth. In the end, the pressure pitching of Nicholas Nakatsu saved the day for Layritz. Nakatsu pitched the final two innings and struck out four of six batters he faced.
“He did a great job,” Murdoch said. “He’s a fighter out there.”
The second game was pretty much all Beacon Hill. The defending champions picked up a pair of runs in the first inning and went on from there. With the 10-run mercy rule in effect, the game was over after five innings.
“We just worked hard, focused and hit some balls,” said 11-year-old Sam Zacharias, who ripped a two-run homer in the fourth inning.
Zacharias is in his first year on the tournament team, but he’s well acquainted with the rivalry that’ll be evident on the diamond tomorrow, especially after Beacon Hill beat Layritz in last season’s championship final.
“They want to beat us, and we want to beat them.”
Meanwhile, the young squad from Hampton/National can feel good about the effort they left on the field. Before the game, H/N manager Charles Gelling was philosophical about the tournament.
“I think the kids had fun, and at the end of the day, it’s about them staying in sports,” Gelling said. “That’s what it’s all about.”
Over at Layritz Park, the 9/10-year old B.C. Championships got underway. Day 1 results included: Little Mountain 10 New Westminster 7, White Rock South Surrey 11 Forrest Hills 0 and Layritz 13 Beacon Hill 3.
Today’s schedule features Little Mountain vs. White Rock South Surrey, at noon; New Westminster vs. Beacon Hill, 3 p.m.; and Layritz vs. Forrest Hills, 6 p.m.
