Ryan Holland was nearly perfect in a 3-0 one-hit win over Arbutus
Jake Ross, a 6' 6: left-hander threw a one-hitter earlier in the week for West Salisbury; on Thursday he was stationed at first-base
Most baseball fans are familiar with the Little League World Series that takes place every summer in Williamsport, Pa. It involves the best 11- and 12-year olds in the world, featuring teams from Canada, Japan, Mexico, Venezuela, China and the United States. That worldwide stage, however, is not the end of the amateur baseball road for most of these youngsters, many of whom graduate to the 13-14 (Junior League) and 15-16 (Senior League) divisions, where opportunities for regional and national championships still exist.
Thursday night at Laurel High School, Arbutus and West Salisbury squared off, in the Maryland State 15-16 Championship Finals, in search of an opportunity to advance to the Senior League Baseball Regionals. That opportunity was seized by West Salisbury, the District 8 champs, which defeated Arbutus (the District 4 champs), 3-0, to complete an undefeated run through the double elimination tournament. Earlier this week, West Salisbury dumped Arbutus into the elimination bracket with a 2-1 win.
Both wins over Arbutus featured dominant pitching performances from the Eastern Shore squad. In the first win, 6-foot-6 left-hander Jake Ross fired a one-hitter and, yesterday, 6-foot right-hander Ryan Holland hurled the shutout.
Holland, who will soon begin his junior year at James M. Bennett High in Salisbury, nearly pitched a perfect game. He allowed just an infield single in the fifth inning to Brian Kummerlowe, who represented the only base-runner Arbutus had in the contest. Holland also contributed to the Salisbury offense, as he drove in two runs, one on a ground-out and another on a sac fly.
"I had good stuff tonight, and was able to hit my spots," said Holland.
West Salisbury's next stop will be the Senior League East Regional Tournament in West Deptford, N.J., August 1-7. The winner of that tournament will advance to the Senior League World Series, August 10-16, in Bangor, Maine.
The tandem of Ross and Holland gives West Salisbury a fighting chance to go all the way. With their size and power arms, they are reminiscent of Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale, when that duo was mowing down National League hitters several decades ago.
"Arbutus has a good team," said Ross, who will also be a senior at James M. Bennett High in the fall. "Ryan and I are in a groove. It's a thrill to go this far in the tournament."