Majors’ Rotary outlasts Hobie

Rotary and Hobie returned from spring break and showed little signs

of rust from the layoff in a Laguna Beach Little League Majors

Division game at Riddle Field.

In fact, the teams were in top offensive form.

They combined for 20 hits and 21 runs, with Rotary hanging on for

a 12-9 victory.

Rotary had 16 of those 20 hits, with Chris Lavery and Michael

Hyden each having perfect nights at the plate.

Lavery went four for four and Hyden went three for three.

Will Bonsey and Michael Maxsenti each had two hits, with Bonsey

ripping a home run in the second inning to put Rotary on the

scoreboard.

Raphael Vickers, Sawyer Pierce, Michael Niebuhr, Sammy Witte and

Robbie McInnerney also had key hits for Rotary.

Rex Strombotne had two of Hobie’s four hits.

The other two singles went to Derek Knott and Jackson Christy.

After Strombotne, Hobie’s starting pitcher, had sent Rotary down

in order in the top half of the first inning, he gave himself a 1-0

lead in the bottom of the frame when his single scored Alek Loechner.

Bonsey’s leadoff homer in the top of the second tied the game.

One out later, Hyden singled to centerfield, Pierce walked and

Niebuhr had a bunt single. With bases loaded, McInnerney ripped a

single up the middle to drive in Hyden and Pierce to give Rotary a

lead it would not relinquish, 3-1.

The third inning proved to be the game’s turning point.

Rotary sent 10 batters to the plate, with each of the first six

batters recording a base hit and run scored.

Lavery, Maxsenti, Bonsey, Vickers and Hyden each singled before

Pierce doubled. Witte delivered a one-out RBI single to stretch

Rotary’s lead to 9-1.

Hobie responded in the bottom of the third by scoring five runs on

an infield single and six walks to trim the deficit to 9-6.

McInnerney squelched that rally by making a nice catch in

centerfield to prevent future damage.

Rotary came right back in the fourth to score twice more. Lavery

doubled, Maxsenti reached base on an error and Hyden’s third hit of

the game drove both runners in for an 11-6 lead.

Hobie posted its final three runs in the bottom of the fourth,

using three walks, a Rotary error and singles by Strombotne and Knott

to pull to within 11-9.

Lavery had his fourth hit of the game when he singled in the

sixth, and he scored on Maxsenti’s double to make it 12-9.

Charlie Jackson made a pair of outstanding catches in the inning

to prevent any more runs.

The win was Rotary’s eighth in nine Majors Division games and kept

them in first place in the standings.