Jul 11, 2008

RWC National makes splash

By Julio Lara / Daily News Correspondent

The last time coach Joe Buzzuto led a Redwood City team to a District 52 championship, he outran a couple of his players to avoid the patented Gatorade bath.

There would be none of that this time around.

As his team lined up to receive the commemorative pins, as the public address announcer distracted him a bit, the Redwood City National players made sure Buzzuto got what he had coming to him - a much-deserved shower.

It was the perfect ending for RWC National, which two days ago found itself with a difficult mountain to climb. Today, after a 7-2 win over RWC American, they find themselves at the summit of the Little League District 52 Seniors tournament. Having to win back-to-back games to win the tournament, the Nationals took care of phase one Wednesday with a 9-5 win and finished the mission by polishing off their city rivals Thursday afternoon at Sequoia High in Redwood City.

"It feels great," said Nationals starter Erik Baxter, who was magnificent on the mound. "We had confidence that we could do it."

The big right-hander pitched all but two outs of the game, hitting his pitch limit and then taking his place at first after surrendering only two runs and scattering six hits.

The 6-foot-4, 210-pound Baxter didn't simply overpower hitters. It was his commitment to the offspeed pitches that led the Nationals to victory.

"We wanted to stay low in the zone," said Baxter's battery-mate Alex Kinder, "(and) keep them off-balanced."

They did just that by feeding RWC American a steady diet of change-ups and breaking balls. The game plan worked to perfection as an anxious American squad simply could not get comfortable at the dish.

"The best team won," said American coach Juan Funes. "We just couldn't connect."

Throughout the game, RWC American showed signs of being the team that was under pressure - having lost the previous day didn't help. Their play on the field and their swings at the plate all seemed to be tentative, instead of the aggressive style that got them to the championship game.

Arguably the most important run was the first one, and RWC National got that with a two-out rally in the top of the first. RWC American starter Michael Castillo committed baseball's cardinal sin by walking someone with two outs. Kinder made him pay after Luis Flores stole second and got to third on an error, as the National's catcher slapped a single to right to give his team the early 1-0 lead.

RWC American stuck around, but Rolph Mejia was gunned out at the plate in the bottom of the third trying to score the potential tying run.

Kinder singled home another run in the top of the third to double the lead. RWC American was at least able to escape a bases-loaded jam, therefore avoiding further damage to the scoreboard.

RWC American showed some life in the bottom of the fourth when Mejia singled down the right field line scoring Castillo, who had started off the rally with a single of his own. But three hits in the inning produced just one run for RWC American.

RWC National wasn't done scoring, and in the top of the sixth, it essentially nailed the coffin by scoring a pair of runs to make things 4-1. Kinder later added his third RBI of the afternoon.

RWC American managed another run in the seventh to make things 7-2, but there would be no stopping the roll RWC National was on, as it would go on to win by that five-run margin.

After the game, two distinct attitudes prevailed.

"They took this like this was their life," Funes said of his team. "This was life for them."

"I feel like a million bucks," Baxter said.