The Elmo Plaskett Little League West 9-10 and 11-12 All-stars are the 2012 baseball champs after beating the East little leaguers in their respective contest Wednesday night at the D.C. Canegata Ball Park in front of a large and boisterous crowd. The 9-10 squad whipped their eastern counterparts, 17-4, in a 10-run mercy ruled contest, while the 11-12 squad came from behind to defeat the East, 7-4.
“Double whammy, double whammy, make sure you print that, we swept both games!” exclaimed an excited West 9-10 Coach Kenny Jackson.
Coach Greg “Pee Wee” Samuel of the West 11-12 squad was almost speechless from his excitement.
“Man I do not even have the word to tell you how I feel right now, but I know that the way the tournament was set up gave my team some good experience heading to Puerto Rico,” Samuel said. “It is the same format over there, 3 out of 5, and the fact that we were able to win in front of a hostile crowd will only help us moving forward.”
11-12 Division:
West 7, East 4
After East starting pitcher Dionte Brooks struck out the side in the top of the first inning, it appeared that the West was going to be in for a long night. That thought among East fans was fortified in the bottom of the first when a shaky start by West pitcher Rahkeem Swanston allowed two runs to score on four walks. The early 2-0 lead brought jubilation and dancing in the stands.
The excitement was short-lived, however, as Brooks appeared to hit a wall in the top of the second. He walked three batters in the inning and several passed balls later allowed all to score, giving the West a 3-2 lead. Meanwhile, Swanston settled down and pitched three straight scoreless innings before reaching his allotted pitch count which forced him from the mound.
The West would add two more runs in the third and two in the fourth to complete their scoring for the game. The East managed to get two runs in the fifth to close the gap to 7-4, but would get no closer. Swanston got the win on the hill for the West Allstars, while Brooks got the lost. Top batters for the Winners were Kyle Jn Baptiste (2-4 with one RBI), and Adanski Henry, (2 for 3). For the East All-Stars Dionte Brooks was 2 for 3.
11-12 Division:
West 17, East 4
The West 9-10 little leaguers left no doubt as to whether the West is the best as they hammered their East 9-10 counterparts 17-4. It was the West with 17 runs on six hits and eight Elmo Plaskett East errors, while the East finished with four runs on four hits and three errors. Charles Jacobs got the win on the hill for the West. Top batters for the winners were Jacobs who was 1 for 1. Tariq Molloy was 1 for 1 for the East.
