West All-Stars Advance to Championship Game

Asked what the big key has been to his team's success so far in the Little League District 25 All-Star Baseball Tournament, Santa Monica West Manager Brian Corrigan said it's pitching and defense.

The 9- and 10-year-old squad has also proven to be the best-hitting team in the tournament, and that prowess at the plate was on display once again Saturday against Beverly Hills in the finals of the winner's bracket at the Ladera Little League complex.

Santa Monica West racked up nine hits in its 11-1 five-inning victory, as J.P. Corrigan went 3-for-4 with a home run, a double and a single. Chase Rowe added two hits.

Corrigan pitched the first three innings and Ryan Bunting pitched the last two for Santa Monica West, which batted around in the fourth to build a commanding 10-0 lead—the key blow being Corrigan's homer to left field.

"We felt we were going to win right from the beginning," said Bunting, who played shortstop for the first three innings Saturday and had one hit with two walks. "I'd say hitting and pitching are our strengths. We practice really hard and it's showing in the games."

Bunting played on Santa Monica West's Giants team that in the Major Division championship game. 

Beverly Hills scored a run in the bottom of the fourth to stay in the game, but West scored in the fifth to go back ahead by 10 runs. Bunting retired Beverly Hills to end the contest on the mercy rule.  

"There are a lot of skilled hitters on our team who can hit both slow and fast pitches," Corrigan said. "The boys hit well all the way through the lineup today, and it's demoralizing to a team when you score that many runs early like we did today and then pitch really well on top of that."

Santa Monica West has scored 35 runs in three tournament games so far, and its narrowest winning margin was seven runs in its first game against Malibu. Corrigan, though, knows what it feels like to be in this position and come away empty-handed.

"I coached the 9-to-10s last year, and we made it through the winner's bracket, but Culver City beat us twice in the finals after we'd beaten them earlier in the tournament," Corrigan said. "So I'm hoping that history won't repeat itself."

Rounding out Santa Monica West's 9-10 All-Star team are Grant Smith, Luca Decristo, Sam Chesler, J.P. Maniscalo, Jared Levin, Aiden Rosen, James McCormick, Alan Schlessinger and Ethan Enriquez.

"We've hit the ball well the whole tournament, and we did again today," Manager Corrigan said. "Beverly Hills is very good, and I wouldn't be surprised if we end up playing them again [for the championship.]" 

In the 10-11 Division, Manager John Solberg's Santa Monica East All-Stars in the winner's bracket final Thursday and wait to see who they will play for the championship Tuesday.

Santa Monica West, under Manager Penn Jones, came from behind to beat Ladera 6-5 last week but then fell to West Los Angeles and lost the rematch with Ladera in Friday's elimination game.  

In the 11-12 Division, Santa Monica East was eliminated by Culver City 16-0, and Santa Monica West was eliminated by North Venice 5-2 on Thursday at Bill Botts Field in Culver City.