Westfield North’s Ryan Rix slides in safely at third base. (Photo by Chris Putz)
EASTHAMPTON – The Westfield Little League Baseball North 11-Year-Old All-Stars are riding high.
Fresh off a must-win over their rivals from the city’s south side, the North continued their renewed run, winning their second straight game, a 14-0, mercy-shortened, 3 1-2 inning affair Wednesday night over Easthampton at Nonotuck Park’s Coughlin Field.
Westfield North (2-2) jumped all over Easthampton’s pitching staff, and received stellar outings from their own two pitchers, Mike Nihill and Ryan Rix.
Spencer Cloutier continued his torrid pace at the plate, going 3-for-3 with three RBIs. Jimmy Hagan went 2-for-2 with a walk, Ian Wilhoite had a pair of hits, and catcher Joe Racco blasted a three-run triple.
Hagan doubled to lead off the game, advanced to third base on a passed ball, and scored on Cloutier’s RBI single. The runs poured in after that.
Westfield North went on to score two more runs in the first inning and three more in the second before piling on eight in the third.
In the second, Carter Cousins drilled an RBI double, Cloutier hit a run-scoring single, and a passed ball resulted in the inning’s third run.
Westfield North blew the game wide open in the third on Rocco’s bases-clearing triple. Cloutier had an RBI double, Hagan, Rix, and Wilhoite delivered RBI base hits, and an error led to another run.
The North’s pitchers made quick work of the Easthampton batters, giving their own offense little time to cool off.
Nihill struck out two of the first three hitters he faced, and retired the side via strikeout in the second. He allowed just one hit, and walked one.
Rix walked two and hit one batter in two innings of relief duty, but allowed no hits and got out of a bases loaded jam in the third by striking out an Easthampton batter for the third out. He had a one-two-three fourth inning to preserve the shutout, and finished with four strikeouts over the two innings.
Westfield manager Mike Nihill said the blowout victory allowed the team to give its pitching rotation a rest.
“We were able to go a little bit deeper into our pitching staff,” the team’s manager said.
UNBEATEN BATTLE: The Westfield Little League North and South 12- Year-Old All-Stars, both 3-0, will meet in a battle of unbeatens tonight at Papermill Field at 6 p.m.
