On his trip around the bases, Clayton Roland was congratulated by his manager, Mark Smith.
GLENDORA, Calif., June 24, 2017 — The La Verne all stars led from flag fall to finish, pounding out 12 hits en route to a dominant 11-1 win over San Dimas at Ted Haller Field in Glendora on Saturday afternoon.
La Verne bounced out to an early 3-0 lead in the top of the first on the strength of back-to-back singles by Justin Santiago and Morgan Smith. Both eventually scored, Santiago on a fielder’s choice by Matt Bustos and Smith on a passed ball. Bustos also later scored on an RBI double from Clayton Roland.
San Dimas responded with a run in the bottom of the frame when Noah Livingston singled home lead-off hitter Jaden Acosta who started the game with a lead-off knock.
The score held at 3-1 until the top of the fourth when La Verne erupted for six runs, half the total coming on a three-run homer from Roland. La Verne started the frame with four straight singles. Contributing to the hit parade were Justin Kearns, Santiago, Morgan Smith and Bustos.
For added insurance, La Verne tacked on two more runs in the top of the fifth. The two-out rally was triggered by a single from Morgan Smith, an RBI double from Bustos and an RBI single from Tyler Holley. The game ended after five innings of play based on the 10-run or more margin of victory rule.
Justin Kearns, besides turning in a defensive gem behind the plate, provided some pop with his bat.
Remarkably, Morgan Smith remained as hot as the weather, going 4-for-4, all singles, to stretch his consecutive hit streak to seven. On Friday, he went 3-for-3.
Morgan was also a force on the mound on Saturday, only getting nicked for a spare run in the bottom of the first before he took full command of the game.
Pitcher Nolan Smith provided late relief to nail down the victory.
Although the tournament is only two days old, La Verne has shown depth and flawless execution in hitting, pitching and defense to warrant the favorite label.
Their next test will come Wednesday at 5 p.m.
At least two streaks will be on the line. La Verne will be looking to go 3-for-3, and Morgan Smith also will be looking to remain perfect at the plate.
La Verne appears to be in a hurry to win the tournament.