Suns Blue make clean sweep of Braves

The Westside Braves 17U American Legion baseball team was swept by the Chico Suns Blue in a district doubleheader Tuesday night, 6-2 and 12-2, at Hooker Oak Park’s Doryland Field.

The Braves played six games in four days, two extra-inning losses to the Redding Sidewinders on Saturday (8-6, nine innings and 10-6, 10 innings) and Sunday’s previously reported split with Willows.

Chico Blue 6, Westside 2

Quintin Flores pitched a complete game for Westside in the first game, scattering six hits and allowing four earned runs in a 6-2 defeat.

He walked five batters and struck out three, settling down for three consecutive 1-2-3 innings, from the third to the fifth. Four of the free passes came in the first two innings, when the Suns Blue plated five of their runs.

The Braves were held to three hits offensively, but managed to score in the second and fifth innings to make the game close.

In the second, Trevor Rau led off with a single to center and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Cole MacLachlan. Michael Garcia’s opposite-field base hit put runners at the corners with one out, and Rau touched home on Austin Arbogast’s fielder’s choice.

Marc Mason was hit by a pitch with one out in the fifth, and he scored on a double to deep left by teammate Tyler McIntyre.

Chico Blue 12, Westside 2

The Braves continued to struggle against Chico pitching in the nightcap, and the Suns Blue played another errorless game to win easily, 12-2.

Arbogast broke up a no-hitter in the fifth with Westside trailing 11-0, hitting a single to the left side of the infield that took a bizarre bounce over the shortstop’s head.

Brad Paschall advanced Arbogast to third, rifling a line drive into left-center field, and Paschall went to second on the advancing throw. Arbogast scored on Ethan Schmeltzer’s ground ball to second base.

With one out, Cole MacLachlan lined a RBI base hit into center field, but Westside’s rally came a little too late.

The Braves’ two runs forced Chico to bat in the bottom of the fifth inning, but two bases on balls and a run-scoring single finished Westside.

Rau left after a two-inning start with a sore shoulder, surrending four earned runs on five hits. Daniel Mahutga, Tanner Johnson and MacLachlan finished the game in relief.

Redding 8, Westside 6

Mason labored 166 pitches through nine innings Saturday night in Westside’s 8-6 loss to the visiting Redding Sidewinders.

In what proved to be a valiant effort after the Braves plated five runs in the bottom of the seventh to even the score, Mason gave up five earned runs on 13 hits with six walks and seven strikeouts in a gritty complete game.

Westside’s offense was quiet after four solid base hits in the first inning, which produced the lone run in their eventual 6-1 deficit that carried into the final stand.

Schmeltzer, who scored in the first, led off the seventh with another single. Michael Garcia reached on a fielder’s choice, which was too late to force out the speedy Schmeltzer at second, and MacLachlan smacked a run-scoring double, advancing Garcia to third.

Garcia crossed on Rau’s RBI grounder to the right side and the inning was kept alive as Mason and Arbogast reached on two-out errors. Mason scored on a throw into foul territory and Arbogast knotted the game when Flores dumped a single into left.

Redding picked up three base hits in the ninth to pull ahead and the Braves ended with runners at first and third.

Schmeltzer was 3-for-5 to lead Westside and MacLachlan, Flores and Mason collected two hits apiece.

Redding 10, Westside 6

Redding prevailed over Westside, 10-6, in a wild 10-inning nightcap.

Garcia dealt six brilliant innings in relief, allowing no earned runs on five hits with one walk and six strikeouts. Schmeltzer started for the Braves and pitched four solid frames, giving up four earned runs on four hits, along with five walks, two hit batsmen and five strikeouts.

Westside jumped on the Sidewinders in the first with a four-run rally. Schmeltzer led off with a single, Mason was hit by a pitch, McIntyre, MacLachlan and Rau all walked and Flores and Johnson cracked run-scoring singles.

McIntyre tripled to right-center and scored after Mason, Rau and Flores were walked in succession, and in the sixth, Paschall singled and scored on a safety squeeze by Flores.

Redding knotted the score at four in the third inning, and forced a 5-5 deadlock in the fifth before pushing across the final equalizer in the top of the seventh to force extra innings. That run and the four scored in the 10th were all unearned, as Westside committed three errors behind Garcia.

Schmeltzer and MacLachlan finished with two hits each and Flores was credited with three runs batted in.

The Braves (13-19) fell to the Redding Diamondbacks, 7-3, in the first game of the eighth annual Shasta Lake Bass Summer Fourth of July Baseball Classic on Wednesday, and will play four more games by the weekend in the tournament, which is being held at Big League Dreams in the Redding Sports Complex.