Westside Braves end season

The Westside Braves wrapped up their season last weekend at the District 4 Tournament in Chico, matching up with arguably the two best teams in the tournament.

After a first-round bye, the Braves fell to Chico Suns Blue and then lost to Colusa after the Channel Cats were upset in the first round by the Red Bluff Junior Bulls.

Leading up to Districts, Westside closed out the regular season with a split versus North Humboldt and a pair of losses in Susanville.

Susanville 13, Westside 3

Westside jumped on Susanville in the first inning of the road doubleheader with a pair of runs, but struggled with pitching accuracy in a 13-3 defeat.

In the first, Cody Fox and Tyler McIntyre drilled back-to-back singles and scored on Caleb Johnson’s two-out, two-run single.

McIntyre doubled in the third, advanced on a single by Casey Cleland and came home on a bases-loaded grounder by Marc Mason.

Alex Costa and Daniel Mahutga also had hits for Westside, who outhit the Renegades as a team 7-4, but they committed five errors on defense.

McIntyre started on the hill and walked eight batters in two innings. He also hit four, enabling Susanville to score nine runs on a single hit. Johnson allowed four runs (one earned) over the next three innings in relief, but the Braves did not rally after the third.

Westside 201 000 x — 3 7 5

Susanville 273 001 x — 13 4 0

Westside IP H R ER BB SO

McIntyre (L, 1-3) 2 1 9 7 8 3

Johnson 3 3 4 1 1 0

Top hitters:

Fox 1X4, R: McIntyre 2X3, 2B, 2 R; Cleland 1X3; Johnson 1X1, 2 RBI; Mahutga 1X1; Costa 1X2

Susanville 7, Westside 5

The Braves engineered a three-run comeback in the top of the seventh and had the tying run on base in a 7-5 loss to Susanville in the second game.

Austin Grootveld turned in an outstanding performance on the mound in a spot start, hurling a complete game. He allowed just four hits and three earned runs in six innings of work, walking four and striking out two.

In the final offensive, McIntyre and Mahutga singled and Fox drew a walk to load the bases. Johnson cracked a two-run double with two outs and Costa’s pinch-hit RBI single represented the tying run. With runners on the corners, Grootveld grounded into a fielder’s choice for the third out.

Westside staged another rally during the fourth inning, collecting five consecutive hits. Fox and Johnson started the parade with singles, and Quintin Flores produced the team’s first run with a base hit. Grootveld helped his cause with a run-scoring single and Ethan Schmeltzer also singled, but Costa was thrown out at the plate trying to score.

The Braves again outhit the Renegades, this time 10-4, but they stranded 10 runners on base to hinder their scoring efforts in other innings.

Westside 000 200 3 — 5 10 3

Susanville 041 020 x — 7 4 0

Westside IP H R ER BB SO

Grootveld (L, 0-1) 6 4 7 3 4 2

Top hitters:

Schmeltzer 1X3; McIntyre 1X4, R; Mahutga 1X4, R; Fox 1X2, 2 R; Johnson 2X3, 2 RBI, R; Flores 1X1, S, RBI; Costa 1X1, RBI; Grootveld 2X4

Chico Blue 16, Westside 4

Coming off a 16-9 victory over the Red Bluff Toros, Chico Suns Blue continued through the winners’ bracket of Districts by charging over Westside, 16-4.

The older, more experienced Chico squad piled up 11 runs in three innings and held Westside scoreless until the bottom of the fifth.

J.C. Conrad walked to start a rally in the Braves’ final stand. Mason hit a single and the speedy baserunners stole their way into scoring position. McIntyre walked to load the bases and Mahutga drew a bases-loaded walk to force in Conrad. Fox grounded a ball to the left side to plate Mason, and two more runs crossed on a double by Grootveld.

Westside had other chances to score, loading the bases and coming up empty in the second and third innings.

In the second, McIntyre singled, Mahutga walked and Cole MacLachlan laid down a sacrifice bunt to advance his teammates. Grootveld drew a base on balls to load the bases with one out but the next two hitters failed to produce a run.

Flores walked, Johnson singled and McIntyre walked to give the Braves another chance with bases loaded and one out the following inning, but a strikeout and a line drive caught in the outfield ended the threat.

Fox started for the Braves on the mound, lasting three innings, and Johnson closed for Westside.

Chico Blue 074 50x x — 16 13 0

Westside 000 04x x — 4 4 4

Westside IP H R ER BB SO

Fox (L, 4-4) 3 9 11 8 2 1

Johnson 2 4 5 3 1 0

Top hitters:

Mason 1X3, R; Johnson 1X3; McIntyre 1X1, R; Grootveld 1X2, 2B, 2 RBI

Colusa 11, Westside 3

Tyler McIntyre blasted a home run over the 330-foot wall in left field to highlight Westside’s season finale, as the Braves fell to Colusa, 11-3, in the losers’ bracket at Doryland Field.

McIntyre’s bomb came in the fourth inning and he finished 2-for-3 with two runs scored.

He singled to open the second inning, advanced on a sacrifice by Mahutga and scored on a RBI double by Fox. Grootveld moved Fox to third with a bunt, but a flyout ended the inning.

The Braves’ other run came in the fifth inning, as Sean Conrad doubled and scored on a groundout by Flores.

Mahutga took the loss on the mound, collaborating with Mason and Grootveld over six innings.

The Braves ended their season with a record of 10-20.

Colusa 107 201 x — 11 14 0

Westside 010 110 x — 3 5 2

Top hitters:

McIntyre 2X3, HR, RBI, 2 R; Fox 1X3, 2B, RBI; Grootveld 1X2, S; S. Conrad 1X1, 2B, R